Alexander "Aleck" Boarman (December 10, 1839 – August 30, 1916) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the

United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana The United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (in case citations, W.D. La.) is a United States federal court with jurisdiction over approximately two thirds of the state of Louisiana, with courts in Alexandria, Lafayette ...

. Previously, he served in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

and as Mayor of

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

, Louisiana.

Education and career

Born on December 10, 1839, in

Yazoo City Yazoo City is the county seat of Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe livi ...

Yazoo County Yazoo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,743, and was estimated to be 23,024 in 2024. The county seat is Yazoo City. It is named for the Yazoo River, which forms its wester ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, Boarman lost his parents in infancy and was raised by relatives in

Caddo Parish Caddo Parish () () is a parish located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 237,848. The parish seat and largest city is Shreveport, which developed al ...

. He attended the common schools of Shreveport and

Kentucky Military Institute The Kentucky Military Institute (KMI) was a military University-preparatory school, preparatory school in Lyndon, Kentucky, and Venice, Florida, in operation from 1845 to 1971. Founding One of the oldest traditional military prep schools in th ...

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, graduated from Kentucky University (now

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It was founded in 1780 and is the oldest university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is Higher educ ...

) in 1860 and

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

in 1860. At the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, he enlisted in the

and served as lieutenant of the Caddo Rifles. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of captain and served throughout the war. He entered private practice in Shreveport from 1866 to 1868. He was the Mayor of Shreveport from May 7, 1866 to August 8, 1867. He was city attorney for Shreveport from 1868 to 1872. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election as

Secretary of State of Louisiana The secretary of state of Louisiana () is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Louisiana and serves as the head of the Louisiana Department of State. The position was created by Article 4, Section 7 of the Louisiana Con ...

in 1872.

Civil War service

Boarman's regiment, the 1st Louisiana Infantry, became part of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was a field army of the Confederate States Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed agains ...

. After one year of fighting, Boarman was promoted to the rank of captain in the

, which he held until 1865. He served as the acting assistant Adjutant-General in the Battle of Winchester. His commanding office wrote of the engagement:

Congressional service

Boarman was elected as a Liberal Republican from

Louisiana's 4th congressional district Louisiana's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district is located in the northwestern part of the state and is based in Shreveport, Louisiana, Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana, Bossier C ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

of the

42nd United States Congress The 42nd 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. from March 4, 1871, ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

-elect

James McCleery James McCleery (December 2, 1837 – November 5, 1871) was an Ohio-born lawyer and officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He also served as U.S. Representative from Louisiana. Biography Born in Mecca Township, Trumbull County ...

and served from December 3, 1872, to March 3, 1873.

Later career

Following his departure from Congress, Boarman resumed private practice in Shreveport from 1873 to 1877. He was a Judge of the Louisiana District Court for the Tenth Judicial District from 1877 to 1881.

Federal judicial service

Boarman was nominated by President

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until his death in September that year after being shot two months earlier. A preacher, lawyer, and Civi ...

on May 18, 1881, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 21 Stat. 507. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on May 18, 1881, and received his commission the same day.

Death and burial

His service terminated on August 30, 1916, due to his death while on a visit in Loon Lake, Franklin County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He was interred in Oakland Cemetery in Shreveport.

References

Sources

* Louisiana State Bar Association, Mississippi State Bar Association, Bar Association of Arkansas, Texas Bar Association; ''"Report of the Louisiana State Bar Association, Volume 18"'', The Association, (1918) * Thompson, E.; ''"Law Notes, Volume 20"'', E. Thompson Co., (1917) * Judicial Conference of the United States. Bicentennial Committee; ''"Judges of the United States"'', The Conference, for sale by the U.S. G.P.O, (1983)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boarman, Alexander 1839 births 1916 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Louisiana People from Yazoo City, Mississippi Liberal Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives Louisiana Liberal Republicans Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana United States federal judges appointed by James A. Garfield 19th-century Louisiana state court judges Louisiana state court judges Mayors of Shreveport, Louisiana Confederate States Army officers People of Louisiana in the American Civil War Louisiana lawyers United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives