Joseph "Henry" Persons was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician, lawyer and soldier.

Early life

Persons was born near Smarrs, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, in Monroe County

Monroe County, Georgia

Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on May 15, 1821. As of 2000, the population was 21,757. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 25,145...

; however, his family moved to Talbot County, Georgia

Talbot County, Georgia

Talbot County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2000 Census showed a population of 6,498. The 2009 Census Estimate showed a population of 6,355. The county seat is Talbotton.-History:...

 in 1836. He attended the University of Georgia

University of Georgia

The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

 (UGA) in Athens

Athens, Georgia

Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...

 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 degree in 1855.

Civil War

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...

, Persons served as a cavalry captain in the Third Georgia regiment of the 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...

.

Postbellum

After the war, he was elected as a Representative

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...

 to the 46th United States Congress

46th United States Congress

The Forty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1879 to March 4, 1881, during the last two years of...

 as a Independent Democrat

Independent Democrat

Independent Democrat is a term occasionally adopted by American politicians to refer to their party affiliation. Several elected officials, including members of Congress, have identified as " Independent Democrats."...

. Persons lost his bid for re-election in 1880 and returned to Geneva, Georgia

Geneva, Georgia

Geneva is a town in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 114 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Geneva is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....

. He studied law, gained admittance to the state bar in 1885 and began practicing law in Talbotton, Georgia

Talbotton, Georgia

Talbotton is a city in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,019 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Talbot County. Talbotton may be best known in history as the place where the immigrant Straus family got their start in retail sales in the 19th century....

.

After his political service, Persons served a UGA trustee from 1894 until 1910. He died that year in Talbotton and was buried in that city's Rose Hill Cemetery.