William Embre Gaines was a 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...

 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...

.

Born near Charlotte Court House, Virginia

Charlotte Court House, Virginia

Charlotte Court House is a town in and the county seat of Charlotte County, Virginia, United States. The population was 404 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

, Gaines attended the common schools.
During the 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...

 enlisted as a private in Company K, Eighteenth Virginia Regiment (Pickett’, ands division).
Reenlisted in the Army of the Cape Fear, and surrendered with Johnston, near Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...

, in April 1865, having attained the rank of adjutant of Manly's artillery battalion.
He studied law.
He was admitted to the bar and practiced.
He engaged in the tobacco business and banking at Burkeville, Virginia

Burkeville, Virginia

Burkeville is a town in Nottoway County, Virginia, United States. The population was 489 at the 2000 census. The source of the town name is disputed. The town is located on the crossroads of U.S. Routes 360 and 460....

.
He served as member of the Senate of Virginia

Senate of Virginia

The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia...

 from 1883 to 1887, when he resigned.
He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1884.
He served as mayor of Burkeville.
He served as delegate to several State conventions.

Gaines was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the Fiftieth Congress (March 4, 1887-March 3, 1889).
He was not a candidate for renomination in 1888.
He died 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....

, May 4, 1912.
He was interred in Glenwood Cemetery.

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