Romulus Zachariah Linney (26 December 1841 – 15 April 1910) was a Republican U.S. Congressman

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 North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 between 1895 and 1901.

Linney was born in Rutherford County, North Carolina

Rutherford County, North Carolina

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,899 people, 25,191 households, and 17,935 families residing in the county. The population density was 112 people per square mile . There were 29,535 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile...

, the son of Martha (née

Married and maiden names

A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....

 Baxter) and William Coplin Linney. He attended common schools, York's Collegiate Institute, and Doctor Millen's School in Taylorsville, North Carolina

Taylorsville, North Carolina

Taylorsville is a town in Alexander County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,799 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alexander County.Taylorsville is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area....

. 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 Confederate Army of Northern Virginia

Army of Northern Virginia

The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...

 as a private in Company A of the 7th North Carolina Infantry. He was seriously wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville

Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...

.

After the war, he engaged in agricultural pursuits and studied law. Admitted to the bar in 1868, he opened a practice in Taylorsville. He was elected to the North Carolina Senate

North Carolina Senate

The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...

 in 1870, 1873, and 1882 and then to 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....

 in 1894, serving three terms in the 44th

44th United States Congress

The Forty-fourth 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, 1875 to March 4, 1877, during the seventh and...

, 45th

45th United States Congress

-House of Representatives:-Leadership:-Senate:*President: William A. Wheeler *President pro tempore: Thomas W. Ferry -House of Representatives:*Speaker: Samuel J. Randall -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...

, and 46th

46th United States Congress

The Forty-sixth 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, 1879 to March 4, 1881, during the last two years of...

 Congresses (March 4, 1895–March 3, 1901). While in the North Carolina Senate, Linney was a major proponent of the construction of the Alexander Railroad

Alexander Railroad

The Alexander Railroad is a short line operating in North Carolina. The railroad has 20 miles of track that runs northwest from Statesville to Taylorsville, North Carolina.-History:The Alexander Railroad Company began operations in 1946...

, then known as the Statesville & Western Railroad.

Linney died in Taylorsville in 1910 and is buried in the Taylorsville Cemetery. He was the great-grandfather of playwright Romulus Linney

Romulus Linney (playwright)

Romulus Zachariah Linney IV was an American playwright and professor.-Life and career:Linney was born in Philadelphia, the son of Maitland Clabaugh and Romulus Zachariah Linney III. His great-grandfather was Republican Congressman Romulus Zachariah Linney. Linney was raised in Boone, North...

 and great-great-grandfather of actress Laura Linney

Laura Linney

Laura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...

.

External links