James Edwin Belser was a U.S. 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...

 from Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

, Belser attended the public schools.
In 1820 moved with his parents to Sumter District, South Carolina, where he continued his schooling under a private tutor.
He moved to Alabama in 1825 and settled in Montgomery.
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...

 and commenced practice in Montgomery.

Belser was elected clerk of the county court.
He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1828.
Edited the Planters Gazette for several years.
He was appointed solicitor of Montgomery County in 1828 and later elected to that position.
He was appointed by Governor Fitzpatrick in 1842 as a commissioner of the State to procure a settlement of the claims against the Federal Government for money advanced in the Indian War of 1836.

Belser 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 Twenty-eighth

28th United States Congress

-House of Representatives:Following the 1840 United States Census, Congress reapportioned the House to include 223 seats . During this congress, one House seat was added for the new state of Florida .- Senate :*President: Vacant...

 Congress (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845).
He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1844.
He resumed the practice of law in Montgomery.
He was affiliated with the Whig Party in 1848.

Belser was again elected a member of the State house of representatives in 1853 and reelected in 1857.
He died in Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...

, January 16, 1859.
He was interred in Oakwood Cemetery.