Henry A. Edmundson
Encyclopedia
Henry Alonzo Edmundson was a nineteenth century congressman and lawyer from Virginia
.
, Edmundson attended private schools as a child and went on to graduate from Georgetown University
. He later studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1838, commencing practice in Salem, Virginia
.
to the United States House of Representatives
and served until 1861. He was chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings from 1853 to 1855.
On May 12, 1854, during a House session on the Kansas-Nebraska Act
, Edmundson was arrested by the Sergeant-at-Arms
. This occurred after Ohio representative Lewis D. Campbell
was animating an increasingly bitter and violent House nearly thirty-six hours into the session. Edmundson reportedly attempted to attack Campbell, but was restrained by other members and arrested. The House adjourned after the incident.
He accompanied Preston Brooks
when he brutally attacked Charles Sumner
on the floor of the United States Senate
on May 22, 1856. A resolution to censure
Edmundson was introduced for his involvement in the incident along with Brooks and Laurence M. Keitt
, another accomplice, however, unlike for Brooks and Keitt, it was voted down.
, Edmundson resigned from Congress and joined the newly formed Confederate States Army
. He was elected a lieutenant colonel
in the 54th Virginia Infantry
where he served as until 1862 when he was assigned to the command of the 25th Virginia Cavalry
.
pursuits.
He died at his home called "Falling Waters" in Shawsville, Virginia
, on December 16, 1890, and is interred at Fotheringay Cemetery in Shawsville.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Early life
Born in Blacksburg, VirginiaBlacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg is an incorporated town located in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 42,620 at the 2010 census. Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford are the three principal jurisdictions of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area which...
, Edmundson attended private schools as a child and went on to graduate from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. He later studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1838, commencing practice in Salem, Virginia
Salem, Virginia
Salem is an independent city in Virginia, USA, bordered by the city of Roanoke to the east but otherwise adjacent to Roanoke County. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24,802 according to 2010 U.S. Census...
.
Politics
In 1848, he was elected as a DemocratDemocratic 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 United States House of Representatives
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...
and served until 1861. He was chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings from 1853 to 1855.
On May 12, 1854, during a House session on the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to determine through Popular Sovereignty if they would allow slavery within...
, Edmundson was arrested by the Sergeant-at-Arms
Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives Sergeant at Arms is an officer of the House with law enforcement, protocol, and administrative responsibilities. The Sergeant at Arms is elected at the beginning of each Congress by the membership of the chamber...
. This occurred after Ohio representative Lewis D. Campbell
Lewis D. Campbell
Lewis Davis Campbell was a U.S. Representative for Ohio. Over his successful political career he was elected as a Whig, Know-Nothing, Republican and Democrat.-Early life and career:...
was animating an increasingly bitter and violent House nearly thirty-six hours into the session. Edmundson reportedly attempted to attack Campbell, but was restrained by other members and arrested. The House adjourned after the incident.
He accompanied Preston Brooks
Preston Brooks
Preston Smith Brooks was a Democratic Congressman from South Carolina. Brooks is primarily remembered for his severe beating of Senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the United States Senate with a gutta-percha cane, delivered in response to an anti-slavery speech in which Sumner compared Brooks'...
when he brutally attacked Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction,...
on the floor of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on May 22, 1856. A resolution to censure
Censure in the United States
In the United States, a motion of censure is a congressional procedure for reprimanding the President of the United States, a member of Congress, or a judge. Unlike impeachment, in the United States censure has no explicit basis in the federal constitution. It derives from the formal condemnation...
Edmundson was introduced for his involvement in the incident along with Brooks and Laurence M. Keitt
Laurence M. Keitt
Laurence Massillon Keitt was a South Carolina politician who served as a United States Congressman. He is included in several lists of Fire-Eaters—men who adamantly urged the secession of southern states from the United States, and who resisted measures of compromise and reconciliation,...
, another accomplice, however, unlike for Brooks and Keitt, it was voted down.
Military service
At the outbreak of the Civil WarAmerican 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...
, Edmundson resigned from Congress and joined the newly formed Confederate States Army
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...
. He was elected a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
in the 54th Virginia Infantry
54th Virginia Infantry
The 54th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Tennessee....
where he served as until 1862 when he was assigned to the command of the 25th Virginia Cavalry
25th Virginia Cavalry
The 25th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in western Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley....
.
Later life
At the close of the war, Edmundson returned to practicing law and subsequently in 1880 turned to agriculturalAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
pursuits.
He died at his home called "Falling Waters" in Shawsville, Virginia
Shawsville, Virginia
Shawsville is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,310 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Blacksburg–Christiansburg–Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Montgomery County, Virginia and the city of...
, on December 16, 1890, and is interred at Fotheringay Cemetery in Shawsville.