John Lafayette Camp
Encyclopedia
John Lafayette Camp was an American
lawyer and planter from Texas
who served in the Texas state Senate and as a district court judge.
John was born near Birmingham
in Jefferson County, Alabama
, the son of John and Elizabeth Camp. After graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1848 he moved to Gilmer
in Upshur County, Texas
. He started a plantation and was admitted to the bar. In 1851 he married Mary Ann Ward, the daughter of a local doctor. The couple would have five children, including John Lafayette, Jr.
by joining the Confederate States Army
. He joined the 14th Texas Cavalry and was elected Captain of his company. By the end of the war, he was Colonel of the 10th Texas Cavalry, and attached to the Army of Tennessee. He was in actions at Cumberland Gap, Murfreesboro
, and Chickamauga
. John was wounded and captured twice.
. However, in the struggle over seating of delegations connected with the Reconstruction, he was not allowed to take his seat. He remained active in Democratic Party politics.
Camp was elected to the Texas State Senate in 1874, and served from 1875 to 1878, when Governor Hubbard
appointed him a judge in State district court. He resigned as a judge in 1878 due to poor health.
in 1884, working as a registrar in the land office. But, when the drier climate failed to improve his health, he came back to Texas two years later. He settled in San Antonio
, living in his later years with his son, John Lafayette Camp, Jr.
. He died there in 1891 and is buried in the Dignowitty Cemetery.
Camp County, Texas
was named for him after he introduced the Bill in the state Senate that created the county.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and planter from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
who served in the Texas state Senate and as a district court judge.
John was born near Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
in Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...
, the son of John and Elizabeth Camp. After graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1848 he moved to Gilmer
Gilmer, Texas
Gilmer is also the name of a county in West Virginia.Gilmer is a town in and the county seat of Upshur County, Texas, United States. It is best known for being the birthplace of popular music singer Johnny Mathis. The population was 4,799 at the 2000 census...
in Upshur County, Texas
Upshur County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,291 people, 13,290 households, and 10,033 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile . There were 14,930 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
. He started a plantation and was admitted to the bar. In 1851 he married Mary Ann Ward, the daughter of a local doctor. The couple would have five children, including John Lafayette, Jr.
Civil war
Camp entered to 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...
by joining 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...
. He joined the 14th Texas Cavalry and was elected Captain of his company. By the end of the war, he was Colonel of the 10th Texas Cavalry, and attached to the Army of Tennessee. He was in actions at Cumberland Gap, Murfreesboro
Battle of Stones River
The Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro , was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War...
, and Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
. John was wounded and captured twice.
Political career
In 1866, the first district in Texas elected Camp to the U.S. CongressUnited 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...
. However, in the struggle over seating of delegations connected with the Reconstruction, he was not allowed to take his seat. He remained active in Democratic Party politics.
Camp was elected to the Texas State Senate in 1874, and served from 1875 to 1878, when Governor Hubbard
Richard B. Hubbard
Richard Bennett Hubbard, Jr. was the 16th Governor of Texas from 1876 to 1879 and United States Envoy to Japan from 1885 to 1889. He was a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War and was a member of the Democratic Party.-Early years:Hubbard was the son of Richard Bennett and Serena Hubbard...
appointed him a judge in State district court. He resigned as a judge in 1878 due to poor health.
Later life
Camp moved to ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in 1884, working as a registrar in the land office. But, when the drier climate failed to improve his health, he came back to Texas two years later. He settled in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, living in his later years with his son, John Lafayette Camp, Jr.
John Lafayette Camp, Jr.
John Lafayette Camp, Jr. was a judge in Texas state district court and United States Attorney for the western district of Texas....
. He died there in 1891 and is buried in the Dignowitty Cemetery.
Camp County, Texas
Camp County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,549 people, 4,336 households, and 3,156 families residing in the county. The population density was 58 people per square mile . There were 5,228 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
was named for him after he introduced the Bill in the state Senate that created the county.