Charles J. Faulkner
Encyclopedia
Charles James Faulkner (July 6, 1806 – November 1, 1884) was a nineteenth century politician and lawyer from Virginia
and West Virginia
. He was the father of Charles James Faulkner
.
Born in Martinsburg, Virginia
(now West Virginia), Faulkner graduated from Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C.
in 1822, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1829. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from 1829 to 1834 and was a commissioner from Virginia to handle the disputed boundaries between that Virginia and Maryland
. He was a member of the Virginia State Senate from 1838 to 1842, served in the House of Delegates again in 1848 and 1849 and was a member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention
in 1850. In 1848 he introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates
a law after which the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
was modeled.
Faulkner was elected a Whig
and Democrat
to the United States House of Representatives
in 1850, serving from 1851 to 1859. There, he served as chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs
from 1857 to 1859. He was appointed by President
James Buchanan
Minister to France
in 1860, serving until he was arrested in August, 1861 on charges of negotiating sales of arms for the Confederacy
while in Paris, France
. Faulkner was released in December after negotiating his own exchange for Alfred Ely
, a New York
congressman who was captured at the First Battle of Bull Run
. Afterward, he enlisted in the Confederate Army
and was assistant adjutant general
on the staff of General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson
.
Faulkner engaged in railroad enterprises after the war and was a member of the West Virginia Constitutional Convention
again in 1872. He was elected back to the House of Representatives as a Democrat from West Virginia in 1874, serving again from 1875 to 1877. Afterward, he resumed practicing law until his death at the family estate called "Boydville
" near Martinsburg, West Virginia
on November 1, 1884. Faulkner was interred in the family cemetery on the estate.
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...
and West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. He was the father of Charles James Faulkner
Charles James Faulkner
Charles James Faulkner was a United States Senator from West Virginia and the son of Charles James Faulkner, a U.S. Representative from Virginia and West Virginia. Born on the family estate, "Boydville," near Martinsburg, Virginia , he accompanied his father, who was U.S...
.
Born in Martinsburg, Virginia
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia, United States. The city's population was 14,972 at the 2000 census; according to a 2009 Census Bureau estimate, Martinsburg's population was 17,117, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the eighth largest...
(now West Virginia), Faulkner graduated from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1822, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1829. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
from 1829 to 1834 and was a commissioner from Virginia to handle the disputed boundaries between that Virginia and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He was a member of the Virginia State Senate from 1838 to 1842, served in the House of Delegates again in 1848 and 1849 and was a member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
in 1850. In 1848 he introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
a law after which the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. This was one of the most controversial acts of the 1850 compromise and heightened...
was modeled.
Faulkner was elected a Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
and 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 United States House of Representatives
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...
in 1850, serving from 1851 to 1859. There, he served as chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs
United States House Committee on Armed Services
thumb|United States House Committee on Armed Services emblemThe U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives...
from 1857 to 1859. He was appointed by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
Minister to France
United States Ambassador to France
This article is about the United States Ambassador to France. There has been a United States Ambassador to France since the American Revolution. The United States sent its first envoys to France in 1776, towards the end of the four-centuries-old Bourbon dynasty...
in 1860, serving until he was arrested in August, 1861 on charges of negotiating sales of arms for 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...
while in Paris, France
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Faulkner was released in December after negotiating his own exchange for Alfred Ely
Alfred Ely
Alfred Ely was a U.S. Representative from New York. He was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses , serving New York's 29th congressional district....
, a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
congressman who was captured at the First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...
. Afterward, he enlisted in the Confederate 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...
and was assistant adjutant general
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
on the staff of General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
.
Faulkner engaged in railroad enterprises after the war and was a member of the West Virginia Constitutional Convention
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
again in 1872. He was elected back to the House of Representatives as a Democrat from West Virginia in 1874, serving again from 1875 to 1877. Afterward, he resumed practicing law until his death at the family estate called "Boydville
Boydville
Boydville is a late Georgian style mansion in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The house is near the center of the associated Boydville Historic District in...
" near Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia, United States. The city's population was 14,972 at the 2000 census; according to a 2009 Census Bureau estimate, Martinsburg's population was 17,117, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the eighth largest...
on November 1, 1884. Faulkner was interred in the family cemetery on the estate.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals