Joseph Humphrey Sloss (October 12, 1826 – January 27, 1911) was an American politician who served the state of

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 ...

in the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

between 1871 and 1875. He was born in

Somerville Somerville may refer to: Places Australia *Somerville, Victoria, a town **Somerville railway station * Somerville, Western Australia, a suburb of Kalgoorlie, Australia New Zealand * Somerville, New Zealand, a suburb of Manukau City, New Zea ...

Morgan County, Alabama Morgan County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, its population was 123,421. The county seat is Decatur. On June 14, 1821, it was renamed in honor of American Revolutionary War General ...

on October 12, 1826. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and entered practice in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. He moved to

Edwardsville, Illinois Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,808 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, former governor of the Illinois Te ...

in 1849, and served in 1858 and 1859 as a member of the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

. Sloss returned to Alabama, and during the

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 ...

served in 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 ...

. He served as mayor of

Tuscumbia, Alabama Tuscumbia is a city in, and the county seat of Colbert County, Alabama, Colbert County, Alabama, United States. The population was 9,054 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 9,169 in 2023. The city is part of ...

, was elected in 1870 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 U.S. House of Representatives, and was reelected in 1872, but was defeated for reelection in 1874. He was appointed in 1877 as

United States marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...

for the northern district of Alabama, serving until 1882; and served as clerk of the

U.S. federal court The federal judiciary of the United States is one of the three branches of the federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government. The U.S. federal judiciary consists primaril ...

at Huntsville. Sloss moved to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, and died there on January 27, 1911. He is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, Alabama.

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* 1826 births 1911 deaths Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Law enforcement officials from Alabama United States Marshals People from Tuscumbia, Alabama People from Morgan County, Alabama Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-Democratic-stub