John D. Alderson (November 29, 1854December 5, 1910) was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and Democratic

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

who served as 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

Biography

He was born at Nicholas Court House, Virginia (now

Summersville, West Virginia Summersville is a city in Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,459 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Nicholas County. History Summersville was laid out in 1824. The city was named for Lewis Summers, a l ...

) on November 29, 1854. He was a member of the 51st,

52nd 52 may refer to: * 52 (number) * one of the years 52 BC, AD 52, 1952, 2052 * 52-hertz whale an individual male whale, also known as the loneliest whale, calling at the unusual 52 hertz range * ''52'' (comics), a 2006–07 American weekly comic boo ...

, and

53rd United States Congress The 53rd 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, 189 ...

es. He died December 5, 1910. He served as

sergeant at arms A serjeant-at-arms or sergeant-at-arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin , which means "servant". Historically, serjeants-at-a ...

of the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the West Virginia Democratic Party, Democratic P ...

from 1871 to 1873, and the State Senate's doorkeeper in 1872 and 1873. After studying law, he was admitted to the

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in 1876 and entered practice at Nicholas County Court House. He was appointed

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 ...

for the counties of

Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...

and Webster in 1876. He was subsequently elected prosecuting attorney for these counties and then re-elected in 1880 and 1884, serving until January 1, 1889. He also served as clerk of the State Senate from 1883 to 1887. He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-first, Fifty-second, and Fifty-third Congresses (March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1895). His candidacy for re-election in 1894 was unsuccessful. Afterward, he returned to his law the practice in Nicholas County. He served as a delegate to the

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 ...

s in 1900 and 1908. He died in

Richwood, West Virginia Richwood is a city in Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States. In 2020, the census showed Richwood with a population of 1,661. During the 19th and early 20th century Richwood was a booming coal and lumber town. Richwood has a very rich hist ...

, in Nicholas County on December 5, 1910, and was buried in a private burial ground at

Sources

Online. September 11, 2007. 1854 births 1910 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers County prosecuting attorneys in West Virginia People from Summersville, West Virginia West Virginia lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia 19th-century West Virginia politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{US-Congress-stub

Biography

See also

Sources