Washington Barrow

George Washington Barrow (October 5, 1807 – October 19, 1866) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 8th congressional district.

Washington Barrow
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 8th district
In office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849
Preceded by	Edwin H. Ewing
Succeeded by	Andrew Ewing
Member of the Tennessee Senate
In office 1860–1861
Personal details
Born	(1807-10-05)October 5, 1807 Davidson County, Tennessee
Died	October 19, 1876(1876-10-19) (aged 69) St. Louis, Missouri
Political party	Whig
Spouse(s)	Anna Marian Shelby Barrow
Alma mater	University of Nashville
Profession	newspaper editor ambassador lawyer politician

Biography

Barrow was born in Davidson County, Tennessee son of Wylie and Ann Beck Barrow, his father's second wife, on October 5, 1807. He attended Davidson Academy and in 1826 became one of the first graduates of the University of Nashville. He read law and was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1827. In that same year, he married Anna Marian Shelby, daughter of Dr. John Shelby, one of the state's wealthiest men.

Career

In 1837, Barrow served a term in the Tennessee House of Representatives. From December 28, 1841 to February 24, 1844, he served as the U.S. Minister to Portugal.[1] He edited the Nashville Republican Banner in 1845-1847.[2][3]

Barrow was elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth Congress, but he was not a candidate for renomination to the Thirty-first Congress in 1848. He served from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1849.[4] Returning home in 1849, Barrow was a delegate to the Nashville Convention of 1850. He worked as a businessman and founded and served as the first president of the Nashville Gas Light Company.[5]

Civil War

During the American Civil War, Barrow was a member of the Confederate faction of the Tennessee Senate in 1861 and 1862. Being a senior officer in the Tennessee militia,[6] Barrow raised Company C of the 11th Tennessee Cavalry, which became known as "Barrow Guards."[7]

He was captured by Union forces in Nashville and charged with treason. He refused to take an oath of allegiance and was imprisoned at Ohio and Mackinac Island, Michigan,[8] which gravely weakened his health, but later was paroled in an exchange of prisoners. After returning to Nashville, he served as a private in the retreating Army of Tennessee in 1863.[7]

Death

Following the war, Barrow died at the home of his brother in St. Louis, Missouri, during a visit on October 19, 1866 (age 59 years, 14 days).[9] He is interred at the family vault of Dr. John Shelby, his father-in-law, at the Mount Olivet Cemetery Nashville City Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.

Barrow was the half-brother of Alexander Barrow, a U.S. Senator from Louisiana, who was the son of Washington Barrow's father and his first wife.

Georgetown University slavery connection

Barrow and his son, John C. Barrow, purchased 112 enslaved persons and a plantation in Maringouin, Louisiana on January 18, 1853, from the heirs of Jesse Batey.[10] Among the enslaved persons were members of the 1838 Georgetown slave sale, who were sold by the Society of Jesus in Maryland Province to support Georgetown University.

Barrow sold the persons and the plantation to William Patrick and Joseph B. Woolfolk in 1856.[11]

References

1. "Washington Barrow". United States Department of State. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
2. Tennessee Biographical Dictionary by Jan Onofrio
3. "Washington Barrow". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
4. "Washington Barrow". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
5. "Washington Barrow". Tennessee Historical Society, Nashville, Tennessee. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
6. More Generals in Gray, by Bruce S. Allardice, p. 244.
7. Biographical entry on Washington Barrow in the Tennessee Encyclopedia, Tennessee Historical Society
8. Fort Mackinac as a Civil War Prison, Mackinac State Historic Parks
9. "Washington Barrow". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
10. "Bill of sale from the heirs of Jesse Batey to Washington Barrow, January 18, 1853 · Georgetown Slavery Archive". slaveryarchive.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
11. "Bill of sale for land and slaves from Washington Barrow to William Patrick and Joseph B. Woolfolk, February 4, 1856 · Georgetown Slavery Archive". slaveryarchive.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2018-02-02.

External links

• United States Congress. "Washington Barrow (id: B000185)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Biographical entry on Washington Barrow in the Tennessee Encyclopedia, Tennessee Historical Society

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Edwin H. Ewing	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 8th congressional district 1849-1851	Succeeded by Andrew Ewing