Augustus Maxwell
Encyclopedia
Augustus Emmett Maxwell was a United States Representative
from Florida
as well as a senator
in the Confederate Congress representing Florida.
, Georgia
. He graduated from the University of Virginia
in Charlottesville
, Virginia
, in 1841 and was admitted to the Alabama
bar association
in 1843. After practicing law in Eutaw
, Alabama
, he moved to Tallahassee
, Florida, in 1845, the year Florida became a U.S. state
.
in 1846 and 1847, a member of the Florida House of Representatives
in 1847, Secretary of State of Florida
in 1848, and a member of the Florida Senate
in 1849 and 1850. As a Democrat
, Maxwell represented Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1853 to 1857.
After Florida seceded
from the United States
and during the American Civil War
, he served in the senate of both the First
and Second Confederate Congress
(but not in the predecessor Provisional Confederate Congress
). Maxwell and Jackson Morton
were the only two people to represent Florida in both the United States Congress
and the Confederate Congress in their lifetimes.
After the war, Maxwell was named to the Florida Supreme Court
in 1865, but resigned the next year. He later returned to the court, serving from 1887 to 1891. Maxwell died in Chipley
and was buried in Pensacola
.
Maxwell's grandson, Emmett Wilson
, also represented Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives. His father-in-law, Walker Anderson
, and his son, Evelyn C. Maxwell, both also served on the Florida Supreme Court.
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 Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
as well as a senator
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...
in the Confederate Congress representing Florida.
Early life
Maxwell was born in ElbertonElberton, Georgia
Elberton is the largest city in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,743 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Elbert County and serves as a hub for industry and small business in Northeast Georgia...
, 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...
. He graduated from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, Virginia
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...
, in 1841 and was admitted to the 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...
bar association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1843. After practicing law in Eutaw
Eutaw, Alabama
Eutaw is a city in Greene County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,878. The city is the county seat of Greene County and was named in honor of the Battle of Eutaw Springs, the last engagement of the American Revolutionary War in the Carolinas...
, 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...
, he moved to Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, Florida, in 1845, the year Florida became a U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
.
Political career
Maxwell was the Florida Attorney GeneralFlorida Attorney General
The Florida Attorney General is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state....
in 1846 and 1847, a member of the Florida House of Representatives
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
in 1847, Secretary of State of Florida
Secretary of State of Florida
The Secretary of State of Florida is a constitutional officer of the state government of the U.S. state of Florida, established by the original 1838 state constitution....
in 1848, and a member of the Florida Senate
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
in 1849 and 1850. 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...
, Maxwell represented Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1853 to 1857.
After Florida seceded
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...
from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 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...
, he served in the senate of both the First
First Confederate Congress
The First Confederate Congress was the first regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the First Confederate Congress were chosen in elections mostly held on 6 November 1861.-Sessions:...
and Second Confederate Congress
Second Confederate Congress
The Second Confederate Congress was the second and last regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the Second Confederate Congress were chosen in elections held at various dates in 1863 and 1864...
(but not in the predecessor Provisional Confederate Congress
Provisional Confederate Congress
The Provisional Confederate Congress, for a time the legislative branch of the Confederate States of America, was the body which drafted the Confederate Constitution, elected Jefferson Davis President of the Confederacy, and designed the first Confederate flag...
). Maxwell and Jackson Morton
Jackson Morton
Jackson Morton was an antebellum United States Senator from Florida and then a member of the Congress of the Confederate States during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
were the only two people to represent Florida in both the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and the Confederate Congress in their lifetimes.
After the war, Maxwell was named to the Florida Supreme Court
Florida Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. The Supreme Court consists of seven judges: the Chief Justice and six Justices who are appointed by the Governor to 6-year terms and remain in office if retained in a general election near the end of each...
in 1865, but resigned the next year. He later returned to the court, serving from 1887 to 1891. Maxwell died in Chipley
Chipley, Florida
Chipley is a city in Washington County, Florida, United States. Its population was 3,592 at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census. According to the United States Census Bureau estimates of 2005, the city had a population of about 3,682...
and was buried in Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
.
Maxwell's grandson, Emmett Wilson
Emmett Wilson
Emmett Wilson was a United States Representative from Florida. He was the grandson of Augustus Emmett Maxwell...
, also represented Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives. His father-in-law, Walker Anderson
Walker Anderson
Walker Anderson was a Florida lawyer and Democratic politician who served on the Florida Supreme Court from 1851 to 1853.He was born in Petersburg, Virginia, on July 18, 1801. He studied law at Raleigh, North Carolina and married Phoebe Hawks. He practiced law and was a professor of English and of...
, and his son, Evelyn C. Maxwell, both also served on the Florida Supreme Court.