Julius Caesar Alford (May 10, 1799 – January 1, 1863) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

slave owner, politician, soldier and lawyer.

Biography

Born in

Greensboro, Georgia Greensboro is a city in and the county seat of Greene County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 3,648 as of the 2020 census. The city is located approximately halfway between Atlanta and Augusta on Interstate 20. History Greensboro ...

, in 1799, Alford studied law, gained admission to the state bar in 1809, and began practicing law in

Lagrange, Georgia LaGrange is a city in and the county seat of Troup County, Georgia, United States. The population of the city was estimated to be 30,858 in 2020 by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is the principal city of the LaGrange, Georgia Micropolitan Statist ...

. Alford served in the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

and was a company commander during the

Creek War The Creek War (also the Red Stick War or the Creek Civil War) was a regional conflict between opposing Native American factions, European powers, and the United States during the early 19th century. The Creek War began as a conflict within th ...

. He was elected as an

Anti-Jacksonian The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States which evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John ...

Representative from Georgia to the

24th United States Congress The 24th 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, 183 ...

to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of George W. Towns. Alford served the remainder of that term from January 2, 1837, to March 3, 1837, and lost his reelection bid in 1836 to the

25th Congress The 25th 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, 183 ...

. While serving in Congress in 1837, he called for a petition for the abolition of slavery in the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

by 22 slaves to be burnt, leading to the Gag Rule on slavery petitions. He also supported the forced removal of Creek Native American tribes from their land. Alford successfully ran for a term in the

26th Congress The 26th 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, 183 ...

as a Whig and was re-elected to a second term for the

27th Congress The 27th 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., between March 4, ...

. He resigned in the midst of that latter term and served from March 4, 1839, to October 1, 1841. After moving to

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee ( ) is a city in Macon County, Alabama, Macon County, Alabama, United States. General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, laid out the city and founded it in 1833. It became the county seat in the same y ...

, Alford next moved near

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 ...

. He was a delegate to the Union convention at Montgomery in 1852 and returned to practicing law. He lost an 1855 campaign to represent Alabama in the 34th U.S. Congress. Alford was a member of the Alabama secession convention in 1861 which passed the

Ordinance of Secession An Ordinance of Secession was the name given to multiple resolutions drafted and ratified in 1860 and 1861, at or near the beginning of the American Civil War, by which each seceding slave-holding Southern state or territory formally Secession in ...

. He died on his

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

near Montgomery on January 1, 1863, and was buried there.

References

Retrieved on 2009-05-13 1799 births 1863 deaths People from Greensboro, Georgia National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Alabama Secession Delegates of 1861 Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Politicians from Montgomery, Alabama People from LaGrange, Georgia Lawyers from Montgomery, Alabama Military personnel from Montgomery, Alabama People of the Creek War People of Alabama in the American Civil War Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves 19th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{US-army-bio-stub