William Bennett Fleming (October 29, 1803 – August 19, 1886) 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 ...

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 ...

. Born on a plantation near

Flemington, Georgia Flemington is a city in Liberty County, Georgia, United States. It is a part of the Hinesville-Fort Stewart metropolitan statistical area. The population was 825 in 2020. History A post office called Flemington was established in 1889, and r ...

, Fleming attended the common schools and was graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1825. He studied law. He 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 ...

and practiced in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. He served as judge of the superior court of

Chatham County, Georgia Chatham County ( ) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Georgia, on the state's Atlantic coast. The county seat and largest city is Savannah. One of the original counties of Georgia, Chatham County was created February 5, 1777, a ...

from 1847 to 1849 and 1853–1868. He resumed the practice of law in Savannah. Recorder of the city of Savannah from 1868 until the office was abolished. Fleming was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Forty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Julian Hartridge and served from February 10, 1879, to March 3, 1879. He was not a candidate for renomination. He served as again judge of the superior court from 1879 until 1881, when he resigned on account of ill health. He retired to

Walthourville, Georgia Walthourville () is a city in Liberty County, Georgia, United States. When it was incorporated in 1974, it had a government entirely composed of women; and in 1978 it elected Carrie Kent, the first African-American woman mayor in Georgia history. ...

, and died there August 19, 1886. He was interred in

Laurel Grove Cemetery Laurel Grove Cemetery is a cemetery located in midtown Savannah, Georgia. It includes the original cemetery for white people (now known as Laurel Grove North) and a companion burial ground (called Laurel Grove South) that was reserved for slaves ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, William Bennett 1803 births 1886 deaths Yale Law School alumni Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Liberty County, Georgia Politicians from Savannah, Georgia Yale College alumni Burials at Laurel Grove Cemetery 19th-century Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives