Ethelbert Barksdale
Encyclopedia
Ethelbert Barksdale was a U.S. Representative
from Mississippi
, as well as a member of the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War
.
Barksdale was born in Smyrna, Tennessee
, a son of William Barksdale and Nancy Hervey Lester. He was the younger brother of William Barksdale
, the famed Confederate
general who was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg
during the Civil War. Ethelbert Barksdale moved to Jackson, Mississippi
, as a young man and later adopted journalism as a profession. He edited the official journal of the state from 1854–1861 and again from 1876-1883.
During the Civil War, he served as member of the First Confederate Congress
and then the Second Confederate Congress
from 1861-1865.
Returning to politics in postbellum Mississippi during Reconstruction, Barksdale served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention
s in 1860, 1868, 1872, and 1880. He served as chairman of the Democratic State executive committee from 1877-1879.
Barksdale was elected as a Democrat
to the Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses (March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1886, and then engaged in agricultural pursuits in Yazoo County.
He died in Yazoo City, Mississippi
, on February 17, 1893, and was interred in Greenwood Cemetery, Jackson, Mississippi
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, as well as a member of the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Barksdale was born in Smyrna, Tennessee
Smyrna, Tennessee
Smyrna is a town in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. Smyrna's population was 25,569 people at the 2000 census. The Census estimate of the 2009 population is 39,142.-Geography:Smyrna is located at ....
, a son of William Barksdale and Nancy Hervey Lester. He was the younger brother of William Barksdale
William Barksdale
William Barksdale was a lawyer, newspaper editor, U.S. Congressman, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War...
, the famed Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
general who was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
during the Civil War. Ethelbert Barksdale moved to Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, as a young man and later adopted journalism as a profession. He edited the official journal of the state from 1854–1861 and again from 1876-1883.
During the Civil War, he served as member of the First Confederate Congress
First Confederate Congress
The First Confederate Congress was the first regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the First Confederate Congress were chosen in elections mostly held on 6 November 1861.-Sessions:...
and then the Second Confederate Congress
Second Confederate Congress
The Second Confederate Congress was the second and last regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the Second Confederate Congress were chosen in elections held at various dates in 1863 and 1864...
from 1861-1865.
Returning to politics in postbellum Mississippi during Reconstruction, Barksdale served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
s in 1860, 1868, 1872, and 1880. He served as chairman of the Democratic State executive committee from 1877-1879.
Barksdale was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses (March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1886, and then engaged in agricultural pursuits in Yazoo County.
He died in Yazoo City, Mississippi
Yazoo City, Mississippi
Yazoo City is a city in Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle. It is the county seat of Yazoo County and the principal city of the Yazoo City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the...
, on February 17, 1893, and was interred in Greenwood Cemetery, Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
.