Richard Henry Whiteley (December 22, 1830 – September 26, 1890) was a

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 ...

and

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

-elect from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. He is the only Republican to ever hold the 2nd congressional district from Georgia.

Biography

Born in

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, Whiteley immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1836 with his parents, who settled in Georgia. He received private instruction in elementary education. He engaged in manufacturing. He studied law and 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 ...

in 1860, commencing practice in

Bainbridge, Georgia Bainbridge is a city in Decatur County, Georgia, United States. The city is the county seat of Decatur County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 14,468, up from 12,697 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the ...

. Whiteley opposed

secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

, but after the adoption of the ordinance entered the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

and fought throughout 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 ...

. He served in the 5th Georgia Infantry and 2nd Georgia Sharpshooter Battalion, attaining the rank of major. He served as member of the State constitutional convention in 1867. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1866 to the Fortieth Congress, then presented credentials as a senator-elect to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on July 15, 1870, to fill the vacancy in the term beginning March 4, 1865, but as the election took place prior to the readmission of Georgia into the Union was not admitted to a seat. Whiteley was elected as a Republican to the Forty-first Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the House declaring

Nelson Tift Nelson Tift (July 23, 1810 – November 21, 1891) was an American jurist, businessman, sailor, and politician who is best known for founding the city of Albany, Georgia. Biography Tift was born in Groton, Connecticut. Early in his life he beca ...

not entitled to the seat. He was reelected to the Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses and served from December 22, 1870, to March 3, 1875. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Forty-fourth Congress and for election to the Forty-fifth Congress. Following his time in Congress, he moved to

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

, in 1877 and resumed the practice of his profession. He died in Boulder on September 26, 1890, and was interred in the Masonic Cemetery.

Notes

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-14

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whiteley, Richard Henry 1830 births 1890 deaths Confederate States Army officers Irish soldiers in the Confederate States Army Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Politicians from Boulder, Colorado Irish emigrants to the United States People from Bainbridge, Georgia Colorado Republicans Military personnel from Colorado Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives