Charles Lewis Scott (January 23, 1827 – April 30, 1899) was an American lawyer, politician, and

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

veteran. He served two terms 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 ...

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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

from

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

from 1857 to 1861.

Biography

Family

Charles L. Scott was born January 23, 1827, in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. His father was Robert G. Scott, a well known attorney and politician of Richmond, who was born in

McIntosh County, Georgia McIntosh County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,975, a drop of 23.4 percent since the 2010 census. The county seat is Darien. McIntosh County is included in the Brunswick, GA ...

, and died in Alabama. His mother was Susan Randolph Madison, daughter of Rt. Rev. Bishop James Madison of Virginia. His grandfather was Col. William Scott, born 1752 in Virginia and lived in Camden County, Georgia. His children included Robert Gormain Scott (1860–1927), whose children included Major General

Charles L. Scott Charles Lewis Scott (January 23, 1827 – April 30, 1899) was an American lawyer, politician, and Civil War veteran. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat from California from 1857 to 1861. Biogr ...

Education and early career

Charles Lewis Scott attended public schools and Richmond Academy. In 1846 he graduated from the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest instit ...

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It had a population of 15,425 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern par ...

. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1847, practicing in Richmond. During the 1849

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

he went to

and mined gold. In 1851, he resumed practicing law in

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

Congress

Scott was a member of the State assembly during 1854–1856. In 1856, he was elected to the 35th Congress, serving until 1861. While in Congress, he married a young woman he met in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

Civil War

When 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 ...

began, he resigned his seat in Congress and joined the Fourth Regiment, Alabama Volunteer Infantry, of the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

, serving as major. He never returned to California. In 1861 he suffered a serious leg wound at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

. The severity of his leg pain caused him to resign his commission in 1862, after the

Battle of Seven Pines The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. The Union's Army of the Po ...

Later career and death

After the war, Scott farmed in

Wilcox County, Alabama Wilcox County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,600. Its county seat is Camden. History Wilcox County was established on December 13, 1819. The county was named after Joseph M. Wilcox, a ...

, then during 1869–1879 was a journalist. He was a delegate to every

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

from the end of the Civil War to 1896. In 1885, he was appointed by President

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

as minister to

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, serving until he resigned in 1889. He returned to the U.S. and farmed. Scott died April 30, 1899, near Mount Pleasant,

Monroe County, Alabama Monroe County is a County (United States), county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,772. Its county seat is Monroeville, Alabama, Monroeville. ...

, and is buried at a private cemetery at Cedar Hill, Alabama.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2009-04-01
Charles Lewis Scott (1827-1899)
US Office of the Historian