William Leigh Brent

William Leigh Brent (born February 20, 1784 in Port Tobacco , Charles County , Maryland , †  July 7, 1848 in St. Martinville , Louisiana ) was an American politician . Between 1823 and 1829 he represented the state of Louisiana in the US House of Representatives .

Career

William Brent was a nephew of Richard Brent (1757-1814), who between 1799 and 1814 represented the state of Virginia in both chambers of Congress . After studying law and admission to the bar, Brent moved to what would later become the state of Louisiana around 1809, where he worked in his new profession. President James Madison appointed him assistant attorney general for the western portion of the Orleans Territory . Politically, Brent was a member of the Democratic Republican Party . In the 1820s he joined the faction around President John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay , who stood in opposition to Andrew Jackson and his Democratic Party , which was founded in 1828 . Brent later became a member of the Whig Party , which was founded in the 1830s .

In the congressional election of 1822 , Brent was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the newly created third constituency of Louisiana . There he took his seat on March 4, 1823. After two re-elections, he was able to complete three legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1829 . These were overshadowed by the heated discussions between supporters and opponents of Andrew Jackson. After leaving the US House of Representatives, William Brent worked as a lawyer again. He died on July 7, 1848 in St. Martinville.

Web links

• William Leigh Brent in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• William Leigh Brent in the database of Find a Grave (English)