John W. Houston

John W. Houston

John Wallace Houston (born May 4, 1814 in Concord , Sussex County , Delaware , †  April 26, 1896 in Georgetown , Delaware) was an American politician . Between 1845 and 1851 he represented the state of Delaware in the US House of Representatives .

Career

John Houston attended his home public schools and Newark Academy . In 1834 he graduated from Yale College . After a subsequent law degree in Dover and his admission as a lawyer in 1837, he began to practice in his new profession in Georgetown.

Houston was a member of the Whig Party . Between 1841 and 1844 he was Secretary of State, the executive officer of the state government of Delaware. In 1844 Houston was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC . He sat down with 51% of the vote against the Democrat George R. Riddle . On March 4, 1845 Houston replaced the previous Delaware congressman, George B. Rodney . After he was confirmed in the following two elections, he was able to complete a total of three legislative periods in Congress by March 3, 1851 . From 1847 to 1849 he was chairman of the State Property Committee. In 1850 he decided not to run again. Two years later he attempted a return to Congress. In these elections he lost 44% to 50% against George R. Riddle.

In 1855, John Houston was appointed a Delaware judge, an office he would hold until 1893. In the spring of 1861 he was a delegate at a conference in Washington that tried unsuccessfully to prevent the outbreak of civil war at the last minute . John Houston died in Georgetown in 1896.

Web links

• John W. Houston in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• John W. Houston in the database of Find a Grave (English)