Alexander Barrow I (March 27, 1801 – December 29, 1846) was a slave owner, lawyer and

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and p ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

. He was a member of the Whig Party. He was the half-brother of

Washington Barrow George Washington Barrow (October 5, 1807 – October 19, 1866) was a slave owner, American politician, a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 8th congressional district; he later fought against the Union as a mem ...

, sharing the same father. Born near

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, to Willie Barrow and his first wife Jane Green, Barrow attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in Ameri ...

, from 1816 to 1818. Then he studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

, in 1822, commencing practice in Nashville. Soon afterward he relocated to Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, where he continued to

practice law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...

. Later he abandoned his legal career to become a planter. Eventually, Alexander Barrow became involved in politics and was elected to the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 re ...

, where he served for several years. While in state office, he denounced bans on slave imports, and said that the state's "wealth and property" were attributable "fair and fully upon the labor of slaves." In 1840 Barrow was elected a Whig to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

, serving from 1841 until his death. There he was Chairman of the

Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them mor ...

during the

27th Congress The 27th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. between March 4, 1 ...

and of the Committee on the Militia during the 27th and 28th Congresses. According to longtime Washington journalist

Benjamin Perley Poore Benjamin Perley Poore (November 2, 1820 – May 30, 1887) was a prominent American newspaper correspondent, editor, and author in the mid-19th century. One of the most popular and prolific journalists of his era, he was an active partisan for the ...

, Barrow was "the handsomest man in the Senate."Poore, Ben. Perley, ''Perley's Reminiscences of Sixty Years in the National Metropolis'', Vol.1, p.292 (1886)
Senator Barrow died in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

, on December 29, 1846. His remains were interred in the family cemetery on Afton Villa slave plantation, near Bayou Sara, Louisiana. Alexander and Mary Ann Barrow had three children, Alexander II, Willie Micajah, and Jane.

References

Information of Barrow and his family
<--''broken link 26 Apr 2015.''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrow, Alexander 1801 births 1846 deaths Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee Whig Party United States senators from Louisiana Members of the Louisiana House of Representatives Louisiana Whigs Louisiana lawyers Tennessee lawyers Farmers from Louisiana American planters American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers

See also

References

External links