Walter Coles

Walter Coles (born December 8, 1790 in Coles Ferry , Halifax County , Virginia , †  November 9, 1857 in Chatham , Virginia) was an American politician . Between 1835 and 1845 he represented the state of Virginia in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Walter Coles was the son of Congressman Isaac Coles (1747-1813). In 1798 he and his parents moved to Pittsylvania County . He later attended Hampden-Sydney College in Prince Edward County . He then studied at Washington College , the later Washington and Lee University in Lexington . Coles took part in the British-American War of 1812 as a lieutenant and then as a captain . Then he worked in agriculture. At times he also acted as justice of the peace. At the same time he embarked on a political career. He served in the Virginia House of Representatives in 1817 and 1818 . In the 1820s he joined the movement around the future US President Andrew Jackson and became a member of the Democratic Party founded by this in 1828 . In 1833 and 1834 he was again a member of the Virginia State Parliament.

In the congressional elections of 1834 Coles was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the fourth constituency of Virginia , where he succeeded James Gholson on March 4, 1835 . After four re-elections, he was able to complete five legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1845 . He changed his district several times. Ever since President Jackson took office in 1829, there was heated debate inside and outside of Congress about its policies. It was about the controversial enforcement of the Indian Removal Act , the conflict with the state of South Carolina , which culminated in the nullification crisis , and the banking policy of the president. The period after 1841 was marked by tension between President John Tyler and the Whigs . In addition, a possible annexation of the Republic of Texas , which has been independent of Mexico since 1836, was already being discussed.

In 1844 Walter Coles renounced another candidacy. After his time in the US House of Representatives, he returned to farming. He died on November 9, 1857 on his estate at Coles Hill near Chatham, where he was also buried.

Web links

• Walter Coles in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Walter Coles in the database of Find a Grave (English)