William Shepperd Ashe
William Shepperd Ashe | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 7th district | |
In office March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853 | |
Preceded by | James Iver McKay |
Succeeded by | Francis Burton Craige |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 3rd district | |
In office 1853–1855 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Rocky Point, North Carolina | August 12, 1813
Died | September 14, 1862 Wilmington, North Carolina | (aged 49)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Sarah Ann Green |
Alma mater | Trinity College |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Years of service | 1861-1862 |
Rank | ![]() |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
William Shepperd Ashe (August 12, 1813 – September 14, 1862) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from North Carolina between 1849 and 1855.[1]
Biography[]
Born in Rocky Point, North Carolina in 1813,[2] Ashe attended school in Fayetteville and pursued classical studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Ashe engaged in rice cultivation and studied law; he was admitted to the state bar in 1836 and practiced in New Hanover County.
Active in the Democratic Party, Ashe was a presidential elector in 1844 and was elected to the North Carolina Senate for a term of two years (1846–1848). In 1848, he was sent to the U.S. House, serving in the 31st, 32nd, and 33rd Congresses (March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1855). During the 32nd Congress, Ashe chaired the Committee on Elections. He did not run again in 1854, but served as the president of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Company from 1854 until his death.
He was elected to one further term in the North Carolina Senate between 1859 and 1861. He was a delegate to the Charleston Democratic National Convention in 1860 and the of 1861.
During the American Civil War, Ashe was a major in the Confederate Army, in charge of all transportation between Virginia and the rest of the South. Ashe was killed in a railroad accident near Wilmington, North Carolina on September 14, 1862. He is buried in a family cemetery in Pender County, North Carolina.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Clifton, James. "Ashe, William Shepperd". State Library of North Carolina. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ Congressional Serial Set
External links[]
- "William Shepperd Ashe". Find a Grave. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
Sources[]
- United States Congress. "William Shepperd Ashe (id: A000310)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- 1813 births
- 1862 deaths
- Ashe family
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina
- North Carolina state senators
- People of North Carolina in the American Civil War
- Railway accident deaths in the United States
- Accidental deaths in North Carolina
- North Carolina Democrats
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- Confederate States Army officers
- 19th-century American politicians