John W. Houston - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

John Wallace Houston was an American lawyer and politician from Georgetown, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Whig Party and the Democratic Party, who served as U.S. Representative from Delaware and a Justice of Delaware Superior Court.

Early life and family

Houston was born on May 4, 1814 in Concord

Concord, Delaware

Concord is an unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Concord is located along Delaware Route 20 east of Seaford.Concord, Sussex County, Delaware should not be confused with Concord, New Castle County, Delaware; the latter is a populated place located in Wilmington,...

, Delaware, attended the country schools and Newark Academy, and graduated from Yale College

Yale College

Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...

in 1834. While at Yale he was initiated into one of the earliest gatherings of the Skull and Bones

Skull and Bones

Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....

Society. He studied law in Dover

Dover, Delaware

The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...

, Delaware and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1837. He then moved to Georgetown, Delaware in 1839 and commenced the practice of law.

Professional and political career

Houston was Secretary of State of Delaware

Secretary of State of Delaware

The Secretary of State of Delaware is the head of the Department of State of the U.S. state of Delaware. The Department is in charge of a wide variety of public and governmental services, and is divided into the following divisions:* * * * *...

from 1841 to 1844, and was elected as 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...

to the 29th, 30th, and 31st Congress, serving from March 4, 1845 to March 3, 1851. While in the House he was chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds for the 30th Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1850, and was appointed associate judge of the Delaware Superior Court

Delaware Superior Court

The Delaware Superior Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction in the state of Delaware. It has original jurisdiction over most criminal and civil cases...

on May 4, 1855, retiring in 1893. Houston was a member of the Peace Conference of 1861

Peace conference of 1861

The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of more than 100 of the leading politicians of the antebellum United States held in Washington, D.C., in February 1861 that was meant to prevent what ultimately became the Civil War. The success of President Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party in the...

, held in Washington, D.C. in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending Civil War.

Death and legacy

Houston died at Georgetown, and is buried in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery at Lewes, Delaware. His nephew, Robert G. Houston

Robert G. Houston

Robert Griffith Houston was an American lawyer, publisher and politician from Georgetown, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served four terms as U.S. Representative from Delaware...

, was also a U.S. Representative from Delaware.

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. U.S. Representatives took office March 4th and have a two year term.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
|-
|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...

|Legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

|Washington

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....

Associate Justice

Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...

|Judiciary

Judiciary

The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...

|Georgetown

Georgetown, Delaware

Georgetown is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2010 census figures, the population of the town is 6,422, an increase of 38.3% over the previous decade...

|May 4, 1855
|1893
|Delaware

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |United States Congressional service
|-
! Dates
! Congress
! Chamber
! Majority
! President
! Committees
! Class/District
|-
|1845–1847
|29th

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...

|U.S. House

United States House of Representatives

|Democratic

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...

|James K. Polk

James K. Polk

James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...

|
|at-large

Delaware's At-large congressional district

Delaware's At-large congressional district is a congressional district that includes the entire U.S. state of Delaware.It is currently represented by Democrat John C. Carney, Jr., the former Lieutenant Governor of Delaware.-Voting:-History:...

|-
|1847–1849
|30th

30th United States Congress

The Thirtieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1849, during the last two years of...

|U.S. House

United States House of Representatives

|Whig

Whig Party (United States)

|James K. Polk

James K. Polk

|Public Buildings and Grounds
|at-large

Delaware's At-large congressional district

|-
|1849–1851
|31st

31st United States Congress

The Thirty-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1849 to March 3, 1851, during the last 17 months...

|U.S. House

United States House of Representatives

|Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

|Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...

Millard Fillmore

Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...

|
|at-large

Delaware's At-large congressional district

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
!Year
!Office
!
!Subject
!Party
!Votes
!%
!
!Opponent
!Party
!Votes
!%
|-
|1844

United States House elections, 1844

Elections to the United States House of Representatives to elected Representatives to the 29th United States Congress were held in the various states between July 1, 1844 and November 4, 1845. All 227 members of the House of Representatives elected took their seats when Congress convened December...

|U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

Whig Party (United States)

| |6,229
| |51%
|
| |George R. Riddle

George R. Riddle

George Read Riddle was an American engineer, lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party who served as U.S. Representative and as U.S...

| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |6,023
| |49%
|-
|1846
|U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

Whig Party (United States)

| |6,254
| |51%
|
| |John I. Dilworth
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |6,007
| |49%
|-
|1848
|U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

Whig Party (United States)

| |6,630
| |50%
|
| |William G. Whiteley

William G. Whiteley

William Gustavus Whiteley was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as U. S...

| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |6,026
| |49%
|-
|1852
|U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

Whig Party (United States)

| |6,360
| |44%
|
| |George R. Riddle

George R. Riddle

| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |6,692
| |50%
|-

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society
Delaware Historical Society
The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...

; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161
University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...

; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.