James Edwin Belser (December 22, 1800 – January 16, 1854) was a slave owner and

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

from

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. Born in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, Belser attended the public schools. In 1820 he moved with his parents to Sumter District, South Carolina, where he continued his schooling under a private tutor; his parents operated a major slave plantation of over 3000 acres and 50 slaves. He moved to Alabama in 1825 and settled in Montgomery. He studied law. He 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 ...

and commenced practice in Montgomery. Belser was elected clerk of the county court. He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1828. He also edited the Planters Gazette for several years. He was appointed solicitor of Montgomery County in 1828 and later elected to that position. He was appointed by Governor Fitzpatrick in 1842 as a commissioner of the State to procure a settlement of the claims against the Federal Government for money advanced in the Indian War of 1836. Belser 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845). He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1844. He resumed the practice of law in Montgomery. He was affiliated with the Whig Party in 1848. Belser was again elected a member of the State house of representatives in 1853 and reelected in 1857. He died in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

, January 16, 1859. He was interred in Oakwood Cemetery. As of the 1850 census, he enslaved at least 10 people.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belser, James Edwin 1805 births 1859 deaths Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama Alabama Whigs Members of the Alabama House of Representatives Politicians from Montgomery, Alabama Lawyers from Montgomery, Alabama 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Alabama Legislature Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves U.S. state legislators who owned slaves