Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. IV. Boston, MA, USA: The Biographical Society, 1904
FEATHERSTON, Winfield Scott, soldier, was born in Rutherford county, Tenn., Aug. 8, 1821. He served for a brief period against the Indians in 1836 and shortly afterward removed to Houston, Miss., where he was admitted to the bar in 1840. He was a Democratic representative in the 30th and 31st congresses, 1847-51; was a presidential elector in 1852, and in 1860 was delegated by the people of Mississippi to consult with those of Kentucky on the question of secession. He joined the Confederate army in May, 1861, as colonel of the 17th Mississippi regiment, and in March, 1862, was promoted brigadier-general in recognition of his bravery at the battle of Ball's Bluff, Oct. 21, 1861. He served in the Seven days' battles in Virginia, being wounded on the sixth day, June 30, 1862. In January, 1863, he was transferred to Vicksburg, and early in 1864 led an expedition to meet Admiral Porter's gunboats, joining General Johnston in Georgia in March. He resumed the practice of his profession at the close of the war and served in the Mississippi legislature, 1876-78, and 1880-82. As chairman of the judiciary committee in 1879-80 He assisted in revising the state code. He was appointed circuit judge in 1881. He died in Holly Springs, Miss., May 28, 1891
The biography below is from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress:
FEATHERSTON, Winfield Scott, a Representative from Mississippi; born near Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tenn., August 8, 1820; completed preparatory studies; moved to Mississippi and settled in Houston; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1840 and commenced practice in Houston, Miss.; elected as a Democrat to the Thirtieth and Thirty-first Congresses (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1851); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1850 to the Thirty-second Congress; resumed the practice of law at Houston, Miss.; moved to Holly Springs in 1856; served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War; commissioned brigadier general March 4, 1862; paroled in Greensboro, N.C., May 1, 1865; unsuccessful candidate for United States Senator in 1865; member of the State house of representatives in 1876 and 1880; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1880; member of the State constitutional convention in 1890; died in Holly Springs, Miss., May 28, 1891; interment in Hill Crest Cemetery.
Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. IV. Boston, MA, USA: The Biographical Society, 1904
FOOTE, Henry Stuart, senator, was born in Fauquier county, Va., Sept. 20, 1800. He was graduated at Washington college, Lexington. Va., in 1820, and was admitted to the bar in 1822. He removed to Tuscumbia, Ala., in 1824, and to Jackson, Miss., in 1826. He was a presidential elector in 1844, and served in the U.S. senate, 1847-52, being chairman of senate committee on foreign relations in 1848. He was an advocate of compromise measures in 1850. He was elected governor of Mississippi in 1853, defeating Jefferson Davis, and served, 1853-54. He removed to California in 1852, and to Vicksburg, Miss., in 1858. He was a delegate to the Southern convention at Knoxville, Tenn., in May, 1859, where he opposed secession, and when Mississippi was about to secede he removed to Memphis, Tenn. He was a representative in the Confederate congress, where he opposed the administration and favored the terms of peace offered by President Lincoln in 1863 and 1864. He left Richmond in 1864 and made his home in Washington, D.C. After the war he resided at Nashville, Tenn. He was superintendent of the U.S. mint in New Orleans, La., by appointment of President Grant, 1869-79, resigning in the latter year. He was a principal in several duels and personal encounters, notably his duels with Sergeant S. Prentiss, with John A. Winston, and with John F. H. Claiborne, and his encounter with Senator Benton on the floor of congress. He published: Texas and the Texans (1841); The War of the Rebellion (1866); Bench and Bar of the South and Southwest (1876); and Personal Reminiscences. He died at his home near Nashville, Tenn., May 20, 1880.
From: "The Bench and Bar of Mississippi"
By: James Daniel Lynch, 1881
Submitted by Janice RiceHENRY S. FOOTE.
Henry Stewart Foote was born in Fauquier County, Virginia, on the 20th of September, 1800. His educational advantages were good, and he graduated at Washington College, Lexington, Virginia, in 1819, was admitted to the bar in 1822, and in 1824 emigrated to Tuscumbia, Alabama, where he edited a Democratic newspaper. In 1826 he removed to Jackson, Mississippi, and formed a copartnership for the practice of law with Anderson Hutchinson. His position at the bar soon became prominent, and he enjoyed an extensive practice, but his taste and turn of mind soon led him to an active participation in politics, and so great was his popularity as a political leader that in 1847 he was elected to a seat in the United States Senate, and was made chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations. His vigor of mind, political tact, and ready powers of debate, caused him to assume an active and conspicuous position in regard to all the important questions of that period, and particularly in respect to the Compromise measures of 1850. In 1851, in a hotly contested election, he was chosen Governor of Mississippi over the Hon. Jefferson Davis.
Governor Foote was a thoroughly aggressive politician. He advanced his views boldly, and advocated them with a vigor and ardor that excited the admiration of the people and gained the respect of his opponents. He has the character, however, of having been fickle in his politics a feature which sprung, no doubt, from the traits already observed. As Governor of Mississippi his administration was marked by vigorous efforts for the advancement of the material prosperity of the State, and gave satisfaction to the people.
In 1854 he removed to California, but in 1858 returned to Mississippi and resumed the practice of law in Vicksburg. In the Southern Convention, at Knoxville, in 1859, he took strong grounds for the preservation of the Union. He was bitterly opposed to the policy of secession, and when the question began to assume a serious aspect in Mississippi, he quit the State and resided in Tennessee, but when that State also espoused the secession cause he gave adhesion to it, and was chosen as one of the Tennessee delegation in the Confederate Congress, where his career was chiefly noted for his hostility to the Confederate President, and finally for his opposition to the continuance of the war. He was in favor of capitulating upon the terms offered by Mr. Lincoln in 1863 and 1864. After the war he became identified with the administration of General Grant, and was appointed superintendent of the United States Mint at New Orleans, which office he held to the time of his death, which occurred at his home in Nashville, on the 20th of May, 1880.
Governor Foote possessed a fiery and vehement temper, and was engaged while in Mississippi in several duels, two of which were with the distinguished Sergeant S. Prentiss. He was, however, when not agitated by the excitement of opposition, exceedingly mild in his manners, and was an accomplished devotee of the social circle, but he was at all times inclined to be argumentative, and on the stump was often fierce in ridicule and invective.
He was at one time very popular with his party in Mississippi, and few men ever exercised more influence over popular assemblies than he at one time wielded. Governor Foote was author of several works, entitled respectively, " Texas and the Texans," " Sylla and Charybdis," and " The Bench and Bar of the SouthWest." While his style is by no means void of elegance, neither of these works has met with the favor which the reputation of their author proclaimed for them. Like that of many great orators, his pen failed to reproduce the inspiration that fell from his lips. But the influence which he long wielded over the destinies of Mississippi and the sheen which his talents added to its jurisprudence inscribe his name indelibly and lustrously upon the pages of its history.
The biography below is from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress:
FOOTE, Henry Stuart, a Senator from Mississippi; born in Fauquier County, Va., February 28, 1804; pursued classical studies; graduated from Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), Lexington, Va., in 1819; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1823 and commenced practice in Tuscumbia, Ala., in 1825; moved to Mississippi in 1826 and practiced law in Jackson, Natchez, Vicksburg, and Raymond; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1847, until January 8, 1852, when he resigned to become Governor; chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations (Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses); Governor of Mississippi 1852-1854; moved to California in 1854; returned to Vicksburg, Miss., in 1858; member of the Southern convention held at Knoxville in 1859; moved to Tennessee and settled near Nashville; elected to the First and Second Confederate Congresses; afterwards moved to Washington, D.C., and practiced law; appointed by President Rutherford Hayes superintendent of the mint at New Orleans 1878-1880; author; died in Nashville, Tenn., on May 20, 1880; interment in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. IV. Boston, MA, USA: The Biographical Society, 1904
FORREST, Nathan Bedford, soldier, was born in Bedford county, Tenn., July 13, 1821. His father removed the family to Mississippi in 1834, where he died in 1837, leaving to Nathan the care of a large household. He had no school training and established himself as a merchant at Hernando in 1842, removing in 1852 to Memphis, Tenn., where he engaged as a real estate broker and in merchandising. In 1859 he became a planter in Coahoma county, Miss., and amassed a considerable fortune. He joined the Confederate army as a private in the Tennessee mounted rifles in June, 1861, and at the request of Governor Harris recruited a regiment of cavalry which he equipped at his personal expense and of which he was made lieutenant-colonel He escaped with his force from Fort Donelson, Feb. 15, 1862, after his advice to the commandant to continue to hold the fort was not acted on. He then made a raid by way of Nashville, Huntsville and Iuka, arriving in time to take part in the battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862, and was wounded in combat, April 8. As commander of the cavalry force he made the successful attack on Murfreesboro, Tenn., July 13, 1862, and while in command at that place, having been promoted brigadier-general, July 21, 1862, he took part in the action at Parker's Cross Roads, Dec. 31, 1862. He was engaged in the battle of Chickamauga, Sept. 19-20, 1863, and was in northern Mississippi, November and December, 1863, when he was made major-general, and his command was known as Forrest's cavalry department, He [p.154] commanded at Fort Pillow in April, 1864, and directed the attack on the fort after the Federal force had refused to surrender. The men trader his command gave the colored troops no quarter and the excuse for the massacre was the alleged presence of the flag over the fort and the stubborn refusal of the Federal officers to surrender, which was not true. He annoyed the forces under Schofield and Thomas in Tennessee and received for his activity the rank of lieutenant-general in February, 1865. He was opposed by the cavalry force of 15,000 men under Gen. James H. Wilson in the spring of 1865 in northern Alabama, was defeated April 2, 1865, and surrendered his force at Gainesville, May 9, 1865. After the war he engaged in railroad building and became president of the Selma, Marion & Memphis railroad. He wore throughout the war a pair of silver spurs, fashioned out of thimbles that had been worn and presented by the ladies of Mississippi, He died in Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 29, 1877.
Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. IV. Boston, MA, USA: The Biographical Society, 1904
FOX, Andrew Fuller, representative, was born in Pickens county, Ala., April 26, 1849. He attended the public schools and in 1877 was admitted to the bar, practicing (sic) at West Point, Miss. He was a delegate to the Democratic national convention in 1888 and was elected a state senator in 1891, which office he resigned in 1893 to accept that of U.S. district attorney for the northern district of Mississippi. He was a Democratic representative from the fourth district of Mississippi in the 55th, 56th and 57th congresses, 1897-1903.
The biography below is from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress:
FOX, Andrew Fuller, a Representative from Mississippi; born in Reform, Pickens County, Ala., April 26, 1849; moved to Calhoun County, Miss., with his parents in 1853; attended private schools, and was graduated from Mansfield (Tex.) College in 1872; studied law in Grenada, Miss.; was admitted to the bar in 1877 and commenced practice in Calhoun and Webster Counties; moved to West Point, Miss., in 1883; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1888; member of the State senate from 1891 until 1893, when he resigned to accept the office of United States attorney for the northern district of Mississippi; resigned the latter office on September 1, 1896; elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-fifth, Fifty-sixth, and Fifty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1897-March 3, 1903); was not a candidate for renomination in 1902; president of Mississippi State Bar Association in 1911; engaged in the practice of law in West Point, Miss., until 1914, when he retired; died in West Point, Miss., August 29, 1926; interment in West Point Cemetery.
Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. IV. Boston, MA, USA: The Biographical Society, 1904
FRENCH, Samuel Gibbs, soldier, was born in Gloucester county, N.J., Nov. 22, 1818; son of Samuel and Rebecca (Clark) French; and a direct descendant from Thomas French, who was baptized in the church in Nether-Hayford, Northamptonshire, England, in 1537, and whose descendant, Thomas French, left the church of England, became a Quaker, was persecuted and imprisoned, and finally, on July 23, 1680, landed in Burlington, West New Jersey, with his wife and nine children, being one of the landed proprietors there. Samuel G. French acquired his early education chiefly at Burlington, N.J., was graduated from the U.S. military academy in 1843 and was commissioned brevet 2d lieutenant in the U.S. army. He was appointed 2d lieutenant, 3d artillery, Aug. 11, 1846; 1st lieutenant, March 3, 1847, and captain on the staff, assistant quartermaster, U.S.A., Jan. 12, 1848. He served with distinction in the Mexican war, being brevetted 1st lieutenant, Sept. 23, 1846, "for gallant and meritorious conduct in the several conflicts at Monterey"; and captain, Feb. 23, 1847, for gallantry at Buena Vista. He resigned from the army in April, 1856, and became a planter in Greenville, Miss. On Feb. 12, 1861, he was appointed chief of ordnance in the army of the state of Mississippi; and on Oct. 23, 1861, was appointed brigadier-general of the provisional army of the Confederate States and major-general, Aug. 31, 1862. He commanded a brigade and subsequently a division in Gen. D. H. Hill's corps at Petersburg, Va., and led the demonstration against Harrison's Landing, July 4, 1862, and against Suffolk, Sept. 22, 1862. He was transferred to Hood's army in the west, and on Oct. 5, 1864, was directed with his division to break the line of communication of Sherman's army by capturing Allatoona Pass. Gen. J. M. Gorse defended the pass with desperate bravery, and when reinforcements arrived General French withdrew his division to New Hope Church. After the close of the war he went to Alabama, and in 1899 was a resident of Pensacola, Fla. He was married, April 26, 1853, to Eliza Matilda, daughter of Joseph L. Roberts of Natchez, Miss. She died, June 13, 1857, leaving one daughter. General French was married in 1865 to Mary Fontaine, daughter of Gen. Anderson Abercrombie.
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