Henry T. Ellett
Encyclopedia
Henry Thomas Ellett was a lawyer, politician, judge, and U.S. Representative
from Mississippi
.
, Ellett attended the Latin School in Salem and Princeton College, where he studied law. He was admitted to the bar
in 1833 and commenced practice in Bridgeton, New Jersey
. Ellet moved to Port Gibson, Mississippi
, in 1837 and continued the practice of law.
In the 1846 election, the Democrat
Ellett defeated future Civil War general Peter B. Starke
for a seat in the Twenty-ninth
Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jefferson Davis
. He served from January 26 to March 3, 1847. He declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1846 and resumed the practice of law.
He served as member of the Mississippi State Senate
1853-65, and served in that capacity throughout the Civil War. He was member of the State secession
convention in 1861, and member of the committee that framed and reported the ordinance of secession
of Mississippi. He was appointed Postmaster
General of the Confederacy
in February 1861 but declined.
After the war ended, Ellett was elected judge of the State supreme court on October 2, 1865, and served until January 1868, when he resigned. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee
, in 1868 and resumed the practice of law. Ellett was elected chancellor of the twelfth division of Tennessee in 1886.
He died while delivering an address of welcome to President Grover Cleveland
in Memphis, Tennessee
, October 15, 1887. He was interred in Elmwood Cemetery
.
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...
.
Biography
Born in Salem, New JerseySalem, New Jersey
Salem is a city in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 5,146. It is the county seat of Salem County, the most rural county in the state of New Jersey. The name Salem is related to the Hebrew word shalom, meaning "peace".The town and...
, Ellett attended the Latin School in Salem and Princeton College, where he studied law. He was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in 1833 and commenced practice in Bridgeton, New Jersey
Bridgeton, New Jersey
Bridgeton is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States, in the south part of the state, on the Cohansey River, near Delaware Bay. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 25,349. It is the county seat of Cumberland County...
. Ellet moved to Port Gibson, Mississippi
Port Gibson, Mississippi
Port Gibson is a city in Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,840 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Claiborne County.- History :...
, in 1837 and continued the practice of law.
In the 1846 election, the 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...
Ellett defeated future Civil War general Peter B. Starke
Peter Burwell Starke
Peter Burwell Starke was a Mississippi politician and sheriff, and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was active in several important campaigns and battles in the Western Theater, including the Vicksburg, Atlanta, and Franklin-Nashville campaigns...
for a seat in the Twenty-ninth
29th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:During this congress, two House seats were added for each of the new states of Texas and Iowa.-Leadership:-Senate:* President: George M. Dallas * President pro tempore: Willie P. Mangum...
Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
. He served from January 26 to March 3, 1847. He declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1846 and resumed the practice of law.
He served as member of the Mississippi State Senate
Mississippi State Senate
The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate is composed of 52 Senators representing an equal amount of constituent districts, with 54,704 people per district...
1853-65, and served in that capacity throughout the Civil War. He was member of the State secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
convention in 1861, and member of the committee that framed and reported the ordinance of secession
Ordinance of Secession
The Ordinance of Secession was the document drafted and ratified in 1860 and 1861 by the states officially seceding from the United States of America...
of Mississippi. He was appointed Postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
General of the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
in February 1861 but declined.
After the war ended, Ellett was elected judge of the State supreme court on October 2, 1865, and served until January 1868, when he resigned. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, in 1868 and resumed the practice of law. Ellett was elected chancellor of the twelfth division of Tennessee in 1886.
He died while delivering an address of welcome to President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, October 15, 1887. He was interred in Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery (Memphis, Tennessee)
Historic Elmwood Cemetery is the oldest active cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. It was established in 1852 as one of the first rural garden cemeteries in the South.-Origins:...
.