Parry Wayne Humphreys
Parry Wayne Humphreys (1778 – February 12, 1839) was an American politician who represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives.
Parry Wayne Humphreys | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 6th district | |
In office March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815 | |
Preceded by | District created |
Succeeded by | James B. Reynolds |
Member of the Tennessee Senate | |
In office 1807 | |
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives | |
In office 1805 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1778 Staunton, Virginia |
Died | February 12, 1839 Hernando, Mississippi |
Political party | Democratic-Republican |
Biography
Humphreys was born in Staunton, Virginia, but moved with his family to Kentucky in 1789, and later settled in Tennessee. After he finished preparatory studies, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1801.
Career
Humphreys opened his practice in Nashville, Tennessee. He was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1805 and the Tennessee Senate in 1807. He was a Justice of the Supreme Court of Tennessee from 1807 to 1809 and a judge of the State judicial circuit from 1809 to 1813.[1]
Elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Thirteenth Congress, Humphreys served from March 4, 1813 to March 3, 1815.[2] In 1817 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate. He again served as a judge on the State judicial circuit from 1818 to 1836. Humphreys County, Tennessee is named for him.[3]
Humphreys moved to Hernando, Mississippi and engaged in banking there until his death.
Personal life, death and legacy
Humphreys had a son, West Hughes Humphreys, who served as a Confederate judge.[4]
Humphreys died on February 12, 1839, at the age of 61. He was interred at Methodist Cemetery.[5] His granddaughter Annie married John W. Morton, who served as a captain in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War and the founder of the Nashville chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.[6]
References
- "Parry Wayne Humphreys". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- "Parry Wayne Humphreys". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- "Parry Wayne Humphreys". Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- Sturgis, Amy H. "West H. Humphreys". The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Tennessee Historical Society and the University of Tennessee Press. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- "Parry Wayne Humphreys". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- "John W. Morton Passes Away in Shelby". The Tennessean. November 21, 1914. pp. 1–2. Retrieved September 25, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
To Captain Morton came the peculiar distinction of having organized that branch of the Ku Klux Klan which operated in Nashville and the adjacent territory, but a more signal honor was his when he performed the ceremonies which initiated Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest into the mysterious ranks of the Ku Klux Klan.
External links
- United States Congress. "Parry Wayne Humphreys (id: H000962)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society listing on Parry Wayne Humphreys
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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Preceded by District created |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 6th congressional district 1813–1815 |
Succeeded by James B. Reynolds |