Williamson Simpson Oldham Sr. (June 19, 1813 – May 8, 1868) was an American politician who served in Arkansas state government, and as a Confederate States Senator from Texas from 1862 to 1865.
Williamson Simpson Oldham, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Confederate States Senator from Texas | |
| In office February 18, 1862 – March 18, 1865 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Deputy from Texas to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States | |
| In office February 4, 1861 – February 17, 1862 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 19, 1813 Franklin County, Tennessee |
| Died | May 8, 1868 (aged 54) Houston, Texas |
| Resting place | Masonic Cemetery, Eagle Lake, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
Biography
editBorn in Franklin County, Tennessee, Oldham settled at Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 1835, was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1838 and 1842. He was elected as a justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1842. In 1848 he resigned to run for Congress, but was defeated, thereafter moving to Austin, Texas.[1] He represented Texas in the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1862, and was a senator in both the First and Second Confederate States congresses from 1862 to 1865. Oldham died on May 8, 1868.[2]
Legacy
editOldham County, Texas (established 1881), is named after him.
In popular culture
editIn Harry Turtledove's 1994 alternative history novel, Guns of the South, a "Congressman Oldham" from Texas is mentioned as sponsoring a bill to re-enslave freedmen in a victorious Confederacy. Since the setting was the time of the 2nd Confederate States Congress, it is likely that Turtledove was referring to Senator Oldham.
References
edit- ^ Fay Hempstead, Historical Review of Arkansas (1911), p. 452.
- ^ Williamson Simpson Oldham. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
External links
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