Thomas Clendinen Catchings (January 11, 1847 – December 24, 1927) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

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

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

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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, nonsectari ...

.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

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. He entered the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, 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), fighting ...

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 A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

in 1875 but resigned in 1877. Catchings was elected

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

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 greate ...

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. 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 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations ...

{{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