Linn Banks was a nineteenth century politician and lawyer from 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...

. He was born in Culpeper County, Virginia

Culpeper County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,262 people, 12,141 households, and 9,045 families residing in the county. The population density was 90 people per square mile . There were 12,871 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile...

 (today part of Madison County

Madison County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,520 people, 4,739 households, and 3,521 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 5,239 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...

) to parents Adam Banks and Gracey James. He married on April 2, 1811 to Eliza Jane Hunter Sanders. He was the great, great grandson of Adam Bankes, emigrant to Stafford County, Virginia

Stafford County, Virginia

Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state, and just across the Rappahannock River from the City of Fredericksburg. As of the 2000 census, the population was 92,446, increasing to 128,961 in 2010.. Its county seat is Stafford. In 2006, and again in 2009,...

 from the Wigan, Lancashire area of England in the mid-1600s.

Banks attended William and Mary College studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1809. He served in the War of 1812. 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 1812 to 1838 and served as Speaker of the House from 1817 to 1838. He hosted the Marquis de Lafayette on his return visit to Virginia. He was elected 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 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...

 to fill the seat vacated by John M. Patton

John M. Patton

John Mercer Patton was a nineteenth century politician and lawyer from Virginia.Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Patton attended Princeton University and graduated from the medical department at the University of Pennsylvania in 1818. He studied law and was admitted to the bar, commencing...

's resignation in 1838, serving until 1841. He was re-elected by a narrow vote over former State Senator William "Extra Billy" Smith, who successfully contested the results and assumed Banks' congressional seat.

Afterward, he resumed practicing law and served as a colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 in the Virginia Militia

Virginia Militia

The Virginia militia is an armed force composed of all citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia capable of bearing arms. The Virginia militia was established in 1607 as part of the British militia system. Militia service in Virginia was compulsory for all free males...

. Banks died on January 13, 1842 while attempting to ford the Conway River

Conway River (Virginia)

The Conway River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. Rising near the triple junction of Madison, Greene and Page counties at the crest of Shenandoah National Park, the river flows south, then southeast to the Rapidan River northwest of Burtonville. The river is part of the Rappahannock...

 near Wolftown, Virginia

Wolftown, Virginia

-References:*...

 and drowned. He was interred in the family cemetery on his estate called "Vale Evergreen" near Graves Mill, Virginia

Graves Mill, Virginia

Graves Mill is an unincorporated community located in Madison County, Virginia, USA.-References:*...

.

Linn and his wife were childless. Genetic testing of other branches of this Banks family in the United States and England indicates that Linn likely belonged to Haplogroup G (Y-DNA)

Haplogroup G (Y-DNA)

In human genetics, Haplogroup G is a Y-chromosome haplogroup. It is a branch of Haplogroup F . Haplogroup G has an overall low frequency in most populations but is widely distributed within many ethnic groups of the Old World in Europe, northern and western Asia, northern Africa, the Middle East,...

 and more specficially to the subgroup designated as G2a3b1a based on having the L140 mutation and a further subgroup based on having the value of 9 at STR

STR

STR, StR, Str or str may stand for:*Short tandem repeat, in DNA testing*Special Theory of Relativity, Einstein's theory*S. T...

 marker DYS568 and an even less common subgroup based on having the value of 8 at STR marker DYS533.

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