Aylett Hawes Buckner (December 14, 1816 – February 5, 1894) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, nephew of Aylett Hawes and cousin of

Richard Hawes Richard Hawes Jr. (February 6, 1797 – May 25, 1877) was a United States representative from Kentucky and the second Confederate Governor of Kentucky. He was part of the politically influential Hawes family. His brother, uncle, and cousin al ...

and Albert Gallatin Hawes. Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Buckner attended Georgetown College, Washington, D.C., and the

University of Virginia at Charlottesville The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective a ...

. He engaged in teaching for several years. He moved to

Palmyra, Missouri Palmyra is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,595 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hannibal Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Palmyra was platted in 1819, and named after P ...

, in 1837. He served as deputy sheriff. He studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1838 and commenced practice in

Bowling Green, Missouri Bowling Green is a city in Pike County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,334 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Pike County. History Bowling Green was settled in 1819, and designated county seat in 1824. Settled chiefly b ...

. He became editor of the Salt River Journal. Buckner was elected clerk of the Pike County Court in 1841. He moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1850 and continued the practice of law. Attorney for the Bank of the State of Missouri in 1852. He was appointed commissioner of public works in 1854 and served until 1855. He returned to Pike County and settled on a farm near Bowling Green. Buckner was elected judge of the third judicial circuit in 1857. He served as delegate to the convention held in Washington, D.C., in 1861 in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war. He moved to St. Charles, Missouri, in 1862 and became interested in the manufacture of tobacco in St. Louis. He also engaged in mercantile pursuits. He moved to Mexico, Audrain County. He served as member of the Democratic central committee in 1868. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1872. Buckner was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Forty-third and to the five succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1885). He served as chairman of the Committee on District of Columbia (Forty-fourth Congress), Committee on Banking and Currency (Forty-fifth, Forty-sixth, and Forty-eighth Congresses). He had been a slaveholder. While many congressmen of that era held racist views, Buckner was a particularly strong advocate of the racial supremacy of whites. While enthusiastically advocating for restrictions on Chinese immigration, he also called for the removal of African Americans from the United States, asking "what reason can be assigned that we do not prepare to remove, not by forced expatriation or by any form of coercion, that portion of our population that, like the Chinese, are aliens to our race, whose blood does not mingle with that of the white race without corrupting it, and whose inferiority to the white race is an admitted fact?"13 Cong. Rec. 2139 While other congressmen were critical of granting rights to African Americans, even most southern members did not go so far as to advocate that millions of citizens be removed from the country. He declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1884 and retired from public life. He died in

Mexico, Missouri , image_skyline = Audrain County Missouri Courthouse.JPG , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = The Audrain County Courthouse in downtown Mexico. , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

, February 5, 1894. He was interred in Elmwood Cemetery.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckner, Aylett Hawes 1816 births 1894 deaths Politicians from Fredericksburg, Virginia Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri 19th-century American politicians Hawes family People from Marion County, Missouri People from Bowling Green, Missouri People from Mexico, Missouri American white supremacists