George Washington Barrow (October 5, 1807 – October 19, 1866) was a slave owner,

American politician In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches share powers: Congress, which forms the legislative branch, a bicameral legis ...

, a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

for

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

's 8th congressional district; he later fought against the Union as a member of the Confederate Army and was charged with treason.

Biography

Barrow was born in

Davidson County, Tennessee Davidson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 715,884, making it the 2nd most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Nashville, ...

son of Wylie and Ann Beck Barrow, his father's second wife, on October 5, 1807. He attended Davidson Academy and in 1826 became one of the first graduates of the

University of Nashville University of Nashville was a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It was established in 1806 as Cumberland College. It existed as a distinct entity until 1909; operating at various times a medical school, a four-year military college, a ...

. He read law and was admitted to the

Bar in 1827. In that same year, he married Anna Marian Shelby, daughter of Dr. John Shelby, one of the state's wealthiest men.

Career

In 1837, Barrow served a term in the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

. From December 28, 1841 to February 24, 1844, he served as the U.S. Minister to Portugal. He

edited Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, and ...

the ''Nashville Republican Banner'' in 1845-1847. Barrow was elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth Congress, but he was not a candidate for renomination to the Thirty-first Congress in 1848. He served from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1849. Returning home in 1849, Barrow was a delegate to the Nashville Convention of 1850. He worked as a businessman and founded and served as the first president of the

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Gas Light Company. Barrow and his son, John C. Barrow, purchased 112 slaves and a plantation in

Maringouin, Louisiana Maringouin is a town in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,098 at the 2010 census, down from 1,262 at the 2000 census. At the 2020 population estimates program, its population was 966. It is part of the Baton Roug ...

on January 18, 1853, from the heirs of Jesse Batey. Some of those slaves were previously part of the group sold in 1838 by the Maryland Province of the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

. Barrow sold the slaves and the plantation to William Patrick and Joseph B. Woolfolk in 1856.

Civil War

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Barrow was a member of the Confederate faction of the

Tennessee Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee , Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any ...

in 1861 and 1862. Being a senior officer in the Tennessee militia, Barrow raised Company C of the 11th Tennessee Cavalry, which became known as "Barrow Guards."Biographical entry on Washington Barrow in the Tennessee Encyclopedia
''Tennessee Historical Society'' He was captured by Union forces in Nashville and charged with

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

. He refused to take an oath of allegiance and was imprisoned at

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

and

Mackinac Island, Michigan Mackinac Island ( , ) is a city in Mackinac County, Michigan, Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 583. Established as an important fur trading center i ...

, which gravely weakened his health, but later was paroled in an exchange of prisoners. After returning to Nashville, he served as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

in the retreating

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was a Field army, field army of the Confederate States Army in the Western theater of the American Civil War, Western Theater of the American Civil War. Named for the Confederate States of America, Confederate state of Tenn ...

in 1863.

Death

Following the war, Barrow died at the home of his brother 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 ...

, during a visit on October 19, 1866 (age 59 years, 14 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

at the family vault of Dr. John Shelby, his father-in-law, at the Mount Olivet Cemetery

Nashville City Cemetery Nashville City Cemetery is the oldest public cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee. Many of Nashville's prominent historical figures are buried there. It includes the tombs of 22,000 people, 6,000 of whom were African Americans. Overview Nashville ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. Barrow was the half-brother of Alexander Barrow, a

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 ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, who was the son of Washington Barrow's father and his first wife.

References

External links

Biographical entry on Washington Barrow in the Tennessee Encyclopedia
''Tennessee Historical Society'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrow, Washington 1807 births 1866 deaths People from Davidson County, Tennessee Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee Tennessee state senators Ambassadors of the United States to Portugal 19th-century American diplomats People of Tennessee in the American Civil War Confederate States Army soldiers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly U.S. state legislators who owned slaves Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves