Thomas Clendinen Catchings (January 11, 1847 – December 24, 1927) was an American Confederate Civil War veteran who served eight terms as 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 ...

from

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

from 1885 to 1901.

Early life and education

Thomas Clendenin Catchings was born January 11, 1847, at "Fleetwood" in

Hinds County, Mississippi Hinds County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. With its county seats (Raymond and the state's capital, Jackson), Hinds is the most populous county in Mississippi with a 2020 census population of 227,742 residents. Hinds Co ...

, to Dr. T. J. and Nancy M. (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Clendenin) and Catchings. Tutored at home until September 1860, he entered the

State University A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

where he was a member of

St. Anthony Hall St. Anthony Hall or the Fraternity of Delta Psi is an American fraternity and literary society. Its first chapter was founded at Columbia University on , the feast day of Saint Anthony the Great. The fraternity is a non–religious, nonsectar ...

.Negus, W. H. (1900).
Delta Psi"
In Maxwell, W. J. (ed.). ''Greek Lettermen of Washington''. New York, New York: The Umbdenstock Publishing Co. pp. 231–234 In 1861 he entered Oakland College near Rodney. He 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 ...

in 1861 and served as a private in Company K, 18th Mississippi Infantry Regiment, and subsequently in Company C, 11th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment.

Political career

He was admitted to the bar in 1866 and commenced practice in Vicksburg. Catchings was elected to the

State Senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

in 1875 but resigned in 1877. Catchings was elected

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

in 1877. He was reelected in 1881 and served until February 16, 1885. Catchings, a Democrat, was elected to the 49th and to the seven succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1885–March 3, 1901) after winning a disputed election against Cornelius Jones, an African American lawyer and state legislator. Catchings served as chairman of the Committee on Levees and Improvements of the Mississippi River (50th Congress), Committee on Railways and Canals (52nd and 53rd Congress), Committee on Rivers and Harbors (53rd Congress). He first introduced a bill for

Vicksburg National Military Park Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi, flanking the Mississippi River, also commemorates the greater ...

in January 1896. When it failed to pass, although favorably reported by committee, he re-introduced it in the next Congress in December 1897.

Later life

Later, Catchings was employed as division counsel for the Southern Railway. Appointed by Governor Vardaman, he also served as a member of the Mississippi Code Commission.

Death and burial

He died in Vicksburg on December 24, 1927, and was interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery.

References

External links

Thomas C. Catchings
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catchings, Thomas C. 1847 births 1927 deaths 11th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment Confederate States Army soldiers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi Mississippi attorneys general 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature