Aylett Rains Cotton (November 29, 1826 – October 30, 1912) was an American politician, lawyer, judge, educator and miner active in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and

Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

Early life and education

Born in

Austintown, Ohio Austintown is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place within Austintown Township, Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 29,594 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Loc ...

, Cotton attended local public schools as a child and later Cottage Hill Academy in Ellsworth, Ohio, in 1842 and 1843. He taught school and moved to

DeWitt, Iowa DeWitt is a city in Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,514 at the time of the 2020 census, which represented a 9.2% increase over that of 2000, making it the fastest growing city in Clinton County. History DeWitt was p ...

, with his father in 1844. He attended

Allegheny College Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college in Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1815, Allegheny is the oldest college in continuous existence under the same name west of the Allegheny Mountains. It is a member of the G ...

Meadville, Pennsylvania Meadville is a city in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 13,050 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania, Meadville is withi ...

, in 1845 and taught school at Union Academy in

Fayette County, Tennessee Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,990. Its county seat is Somerville. The county was named after the Marquis de la Fayette, French hero of the American Revolution. ...

, from 1845 to 1847.

Career

He returned to Iowa in 1847, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1848. He then began practicing law in Iowa. Cotton moved to California in 1849 and engaged in mining on the

Feather River The Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is just over . The main stem Feather ...

in the

Sacramento Valley The Sacramento Valley is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies north of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the Sacramento River. It encompasses all or parts of ten Northern California ...

. He moved to Lyons, Iowa, in 1851 and became county judge of

Clinton County, Iowa Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 46,460. Its county seat is Clinton. Its name is in honor of the seventh Governor of New York State, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton ...

, the same year, serving until 1853. He was

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

of Clinton County in 1854, mayor of Lyons from 1855 to 1857 and was a member of the Iowa constitutional convention in 1857. Cotton was a member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

from 1868 to 1871, serving as

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

in his final term. In 1870 he was elected a Republican to represent

Iowa's 2nd congressional district Iowa's 2nd congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of its northeastern part. It includes Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Iowa, Dubuque ...

in 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 ...

. While serving in the

Forty-second 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, ...

, he narrowly defeated Democrat William E. Leffingwell to win a second term, becoming a member of the Forty-third Congress. Although his official Congressional biography states that he declined to run for a third term in 1874, newspaper reports indicate that he was an active but unsuccessful candidate for renomination at the Republican district convention in DeWitt, Iowa, on September 1, 1874, losing to John Q. Tufts on the 30th ballot. In all, he served from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 1875. He returned to California in 1883 and commenced practicing law in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, until his death.

Personal life

Cotton's younger brother Wickliffe also served in the

Iowa General Assembly The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Repre ...

. Aylett Cotton married Hattie Walker. Cotton died on October 30, 1912. He was interred in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in

Colma, California Colma (Ohlone for "Springs") is a small incorporated List of municipalities in California, town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,507 at the 2020 U ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotton, Aylett R. 1826 births 1912 deaths Mayors of places in Iowa Iowa state court judges District attorneys in Iowa Lawyers from San Francisco Politicians from San Francisco People from Austintown, Ohio Allegheny College alumni Speakers of the Iowa House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Politicians from Clinton, Iowa California Republicans Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa People from DeWitt, Iowa 19th-century Iowa state court judges 19th-century American lawyers Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery (Colma, California) 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Iowa General Assembly