Louis Wigfall

Louis Wigfall

Louis Trezevant Wigfall (born April 21, 1816 in Edgefield , South Carolina , † February 18, 1874 in Galveston , Texas ) was an American politician of the Democratic Party . From 1859 to 1861 he sat for the US state of Texas in the US Senate .

biography

Wigfall was born on a plantation in Edgefield, in western South Carolina. His father died in 1818, his mother, who had ancestors from France, died in 1829. At the age of 13, Wigfall was an orphan. He had two other brothers, one died in a duel, the other pursued a spiritual career.

Until 1834 Wigfall was under guardianship, after which he went to the Rice Creek Springs School in Columbia . It was a military academy. He attended her for a year and then began studying at the University of Virginia . During this time, Wigfall fought several duels with other students, but mostly left the field as the winner. Wigfall neglected his studies in favor of a dissolute lifestyle. In 1836 he moved to what is now the University of South Carolina to complete his studies. However, he did not succeed because he was found here more in bars than on campus. However, in 1837 he graduated. One of his fellow students was John Lawrence Manning , who later became governor of South Carolina.

In 1839 he returned to his hometown and took over the law firm of his late brother. However, he failed to adapt his lifestyle to that of a small town attorney, so that he accumulated debts, some of which were also paid by the family of his wife, whom he married in 1841. Together with his wife Charlotte Maria, Wigfall fathered two children.

In 1840 he first appeared in politics. During the campaign for governor of South Carolina, he supported John Peter Richardson senior . His support went so far that he competed in duels with political opponents. After the successful election of Richardson, Wigfall closed his law firm because it was not making enough profits. James Hamilton Jr. , a cousin, helped Wigfall get back on his feet by starting a law firm with him. In 1848 he decided to move to Texas. There he joined the law firm of William Beck Ochiltree in Nacogdoches .

Wigfall was also politically active again in Texas. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1849 to 1850 . He served in the Texas Senate from 1857 to 1860. After the death of James Pinckney Henderson , Wigfall was elected as his successor to the Federal Senate in Washington, DC . He took up his post on December 5, 1859, when he took over from Matthias Ward , who was temporarily appointed . On March 23, 1861 he resigned from his office. The Senate finally excluded him on July 11, 1861. After the secession of Texas from the Union, Wigfall represented Texas in the Provisional Confederate Congress .

During the Civil War , Wigfall served in the Confederate States Army , most recently in the rank of Brigadier General . From 1862 to 1865 he sat for Texas in the Confederate States Senate . In 1866 Wigfall went into exile in London . In 1870 he moved back to the USA, this time to Colorado , where he had bought a mine. He also lived temporarily in Baltimore . While in Galveston, he suffered a stroke . He died a little later as a result of this. He was buried in Galveston.

Web links

• Louis Wigfall in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Louis Wigfall in the database of Find a Grave (English)