Joseph R. Underwood

Joseph R. Underwood

Joseph Rogers Underwood (born October 24, 1791 in Goochland County , Virginia , †  August 23, 1876 in Warren County , Kentucky ) was an American politician ( Whig Party ) who represented the state of Kentucky in both chambers of Congress .

Early years

In 1803, Joseph Underwood moved to Barren County , Kentucky, where he lived with his uncle. He attended public schools and graduated from Transylvania College , Lexington in 1811 . His law studies was interrupted by the British-American War , in which he served as a lieutenant in the Kentucky 13th  Infantry Regiment . He was inducted into the Bar in 1813 and began practicing in Glasgow .

Public offices

Until 1823 he served on the governing bodies of the city and Barren County. He was also a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1816 to 1819 . After moving to Bowling Green , he was again a member of this Chamber of Parliament from 1825 to 1826. In 1828 Underwood ran unsuccessfully for the post of lieutenant governor ; in the same year he became a judge at the appellate court, which he remained until 1835.

On March 4, 1835, Joseph Underwood moved for the Whigs in the US House of Representatives , where he represented the 3rd electoral district of Kentucky until March 3, 1843. That year he decided not to run again to work as a lawyer again. In 1844 he belonged to the Electoral College , which did not elect the Whig candidate Henry Clay , but the Democrat James K. Polk as US president. In 1846 he sat again in the House of Representatives of his state and was also its speaker .

Also in 1846, he was elected to the US Senate , to which he belonged from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1853; he did not apply for re-election. Instead, he served one more time in Kentucky from 1861 to 1863. Underwood died at Bowling Green in 1876.

family

Joseph Underwood's brother Warner was also politically active and was a member of the American Party from 1855 to 1859 in the US House of Representatives. His eldest son John was Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1875 to 1879 , and his grandson Oscar Underwood was the Democratic US Senator for Alabama from 1915 to 1927 .

Web links

• Joseph R. Underwood in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Joseph R. Underwood in the database of Find a Grave (English)