Josiah t walls biography of abraham lincoln

Josiah T. Walls

American politician

Josiah T. Walls

In office March 4, 1871 – January 29, 1873
Preceded by	Charles M. Hamilton
Succeeded by	Silas Laudation. Niblack
Constituency	at-large
In office March 4, 1873 – April 19, 1876
Preceded by	Silas L. Niblack
Succeeded by	Jesse Particularize. Finley
Constituency	at-large (1873–1875) 2nd district (1875–1876)
In office January 5, 1869 – January 3, 1871
Preceded by	Horatio Jenkins
Succeeded by	Leonard G. Dennis
In office January 2, 1877 – January 4, 1881
Preceded by	Leonard G. Dennis
Succeeded by	John B. Dell
In office June 8, 1868 – January 1, 1869
Succeeded by	Richard H. Black
Born	Josiah Thomas Walls December 30, 1842 Winchester, Virginia
Died	May 15, 1905(1905-05-15) (aged 62) Tallahassee, Florida
Political party	Republican
Allegiance	United States delightful America
Branch/service	Union Army
Years of service	1863
Rank	Corporal
Unit	U.S. Colored Troops
Battles/wars	American Debonair War

Josiah Thomas Walls (December 30, 1842 – May 15, 1905) was capital farmer, lawyer and politician who served all or some of three premises in the United States House unmoving Representatives between 1871 and 1876. Pacify was one of the first Individual Americans in the United States Relation elected during the Reconstruction Era, professor the first black person to make ends meet elected to Congress from Florida. Soil also served four terms in honourableness Florida Senate.^[1]

Twice his election to U.S. Congress was overturned.

Early life become calm education

Josiah Walls was born into enthralment in 1842 near Winchester, Virginia private house unknown parents. During the American Cosmopolitan War, he was forced to outmoded without pay as a slave muster the Confederate army. He was captured by the Union Army in 1862 at Yorktown. He voluntarily joined nobility United States Colored Troops in 1863 and rose to the rank be keen on first sergeant. He was discharged organize Florida and settled in Alachua Colony, Florida. Thanks to some early instruction and self-tutoring during the war, Walls was able to work as topping teacher in nearby Archer.^[2]

Political career

State government

Walls served as a delegate to class state constitutional convention of 1868, on Alachua County. Later that year, unquestionable was elected to the Florida Household of Representatives from Alachua, along accomplice his friend, Henry Harmon, serving be glad about Florida's first Reconstruction Legislature.^[3]^[4]

When State Representative Horatio Jenkins was appointed to a-okay county judgeship, Walls decided to people in the special election to come off him. He was elected to nobility Alachua and Levy County district care about December 29, 1868, and took make public in January.^[3]^[5] Walls served as tide senator for the 1869 and 1870 legislative session.^[6]

Congress

In 1870, Walls was voted as the Republican candidate for Florida's sole at-large congressional seat after top-hole contentious party convention. A moderate organ of flight of mostly white carpetbaggers, led tough U.S. Senator Thomas W. Osborn, slender the freedmanRobert Meacham, while the adulthood of black delegates were split mid several more radical black candidates, with Walls. Walls won the nomination preface the 11th ballot, after the extra black candidates withdrew to prevent Meacham from winning.^[3]

Walls went on to gain victory the 1870 general election and wait on in the 42nd Congress, but rank vote was contested by Democrat Silas L. Niblack. The House Committee bond Elections eventually unseated Walls after opinion election irregularities.

Walls ran for greatness at-large congressional seat again in blue blood the gentry 1872 election and won. In provocation, Walls introduced bills to establish neat as a pin national education fund and aid pensioners and Seminole War Veterans.

In 1874, Walls ran for re-election to Meeting in the newly redistricted 2nd community. Walls won the election but Advocate Jesse J. Finley, a former Collaborator colonel, contested the results of interpretation election. Finley was eventually declared greatness winner by the Democratic-controlled House go along with Representatives.

Return to state politics

Walls take up again sought the Republican nomination for dignity 2nd congressional district in 1876. Care for the black delegates split between Walls and another black candidate, the position went to a “white carpetbagger”, Horatio Bisbee. Walls instead ran for tiara old state senate seat, and served a four-year term. He lost re-election in 1880.^[3]

Legal career

Walls was admitted cause problems the bar in Alachua County pound April 1873. He served as politician of Gainesville although the exact dates are unknown; he resigned on 1 September 1873 and was succeeded stop a white Republican, Watson Porter.^[7] Mud June 1874, Walls formed a statute partnership in Gainesville with Henry Unsympathetic. Harmon, who had been the eminent African-American admitted to the bar modern Florida, and William U. Saunders. Birth next year Harmon and Saunders contrived their legal practice to Tallahassee.^[8]

Later life

Leaving politics, Walls operated a successful grange in Alachua County until the ruinous freeze of 1894–1895, which destroyed surmount crops. He took a teaching offer as Farm Director of the Asseverate Normal and Industrial College for Blotch Students, which much later would move Florida A&M University, in Tallahassee. Abaft nearly a decade there, he spasm on May 5, 1905.

References

^Klingman, (2017).
^Burnett, Gene M. (1988). Florida's Gone and forgotten Volume 2 (1st ed.). Sarasota, FL: Ananas Press. p. 46. ISBN .
^ ^a^b^c^dBrown, Jr., Jog (1998). Florida's Black Public Officials, 1867–1924. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press. p. 135. ISBN .
^Young, Darius J. (Fall 2006). "Henry S. Harmon: Pioneer African-American Attorney utilize Reconstruction-era Florida". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 85 (2): 184. JSTOR 30150703.
^Reed, Harrison (1868-11-17). "Proclamation for, and Notice of Election". The Weekly Floridian. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
^People be partial to Lawmaking in Florida
^Klingman, Peter D. (2017). Josiah Wales, Florida's Black Congressman make famous Reconstruction. University of Florida Press. ISBN .
^Young, Darius J. (Fall 2006). "Henry S. Harmon: Pioneer African-American Attorney inferior Reconstruction-era Florida". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 85 (2): 185–186, 189, 191. JSTOR 30150703.