Augustus Maxwell

Augustus E. Maxwell
Confederate States Senator
from Florida
In office
February 18, 1862  May 10, 1865
Preceded by Constituency established
Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's At-large district
In office
March 4, 1853  March 3, 1857
Preceded by Edward Cabell
Succeeded by George Hawkins
Attorney General of Florida
In office
1846–1848
Preceded by Joseph Branch
Succeeded by James T. Archer
Member of the Florida Senate
In office
1847
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
In office
1849–1850
Personal details
Born (1820-09-21)September 21, 1820
Elberton, Georgia, U.S.
Died May 5, 1903(1903-05-05) (aged 82)
Chipley, Florida, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Alma mater University of Virginia

Augustus E. Maxwell (born Augustus Emmet Maxwell; September 21, 1820 May 5, 1903) was an American politician who served as a Confederate States Senator from Florida from 1862 to 1865. From 1853 to 1857, Maxwell served two terms in the United States House of Representatives.

Early life

Augustus E. Maxwell was born in Elberton, Georgia. He graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1841 and was admitted to the Alabama bar association in 1843. After practicing law in Eutaw, Alabama, he moved to Tallahassee, Florida, in 1845, the year Florida became a U.S. state.

Political career

Maxwell was the Florida Attorney General in 1846 and 1847, a member of the Florida House of Representatives in 1847, Secretary of State of Florida in 1848, and a member of the Florida Senate in 1849 and 1850. As a Democrat, Maxwell represented Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1853 to 1857. After Florida seceded from the United States and during the American Civil War, he served in the senate of both the First and Second Confederate States Congress. Maxwell and Jackson Morton were the only two people to represent Florida in both the United States Congress and the Confederate Congress in their lifetimes.

Later life

After the war, Maxwell was named to the Florida Supreme Court in 1865, but resigned the next year. He later returned to the court, serving from 1887 to 1891. Maxwell died in Chipley and was buried in Pensacola. Maxwell's grandson, Emmett Wilson, also represented Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives. His father-in-law, Walker Anderson, and his son, Evelyn C. Maxwell, both also served on the Florida Supreme Court.

References

  • United States Congress. "Augustus Maxwell (id: M000266)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-24
  • Justice Augustus Maxwell at the Florida Supreme Court web site. Accessed 2007-06-04.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Joseph Branch
Attorney General of Florida
1846–1848
Succeeded by
James T. Archer
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Edward Cabell
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's At-large congressional district

1853–1857
Succeeded by
George Hawkins
Confederate States Senate
New constituency Confederate States Senator (Class 2) from Florida
1862–1865
Served alongside: James Baker
Constituency abolished


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