Aylett Rains Cotton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875 | |
| Preceded by | William P. Wolf |
| Succeeded by | John Q. Tufts |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives | |
| In office January 13, 1868 – March 3, 1871 | |
| Constituency | District 33 (1868–1870) District 31 (1870–1871) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1826-11-29)November 29, 1826 Austintown,Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | October 30, 1912(1912-10-30) (aged 85) San Francisco,California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Hattie Elizabeth Walker Cotton |
| Relatives | Wickliffe Cotton (brother) |
Aylett Rains Cotton (November 29, 1826 – October 30, 1912) was an American politician, lawyer, judge, educator and miner active inIowa andNorthern California.
Born inAustintown, Ohio, Cotton attended local public schools as a child and later Cottage Hill Academy inEllsworth, Ohio, in 1842 and 1843. He taught school and moved toDeWitt, Iowa, with his father in 1844. He attendedAllegheny College inMeadville, Pennsylvania, in 1845 and taught school at Union Academy inFayette County, Tennessee, from 1845 to 1847.
He returned to Iowa in 1847, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1848. He then began practicing law in Iowa.
Cotton moved to California in 1849 and engaged in mining on theFeather River in theSacramento Valley. He moved toLyons, Iowa, in 1851 and became county judge ofClinton County, Iowa, the same year, serving until 1853. He wasprosecuting attorney of Clinton County in 1854, mayor of Lyons from 1855 to 1857 and was a member of theIowa constitutional convention in 1857.[1]
Cotton was a member of theIowa House of Representatives from 1868 to 1871, serving asSpeaker of the House in his final term.[1]
In 1870 he was elected aRepublican to representIowa's 2nd congressional district in theUnited States House of Representatives. While serving in theForty-second Congress, he narrowly defeated Democrat William E. Leffingwell to win a second term, becoming a member of theForty-third Congress.[2] Although his official Congressional biography states that he declined to run for a third term in 1874, newspaper reports indicate that he was an active but unsuccessful candidate for renomination at the Republican district convention in DeWitt, Iowa, on September 1, 1874, losing toJohn Q. Tufts on the 30th ballot.[3] In all, he served from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 1875. He returned to California in 1883 and commenced practicing law inSan Francisco, California, until his death.
Cotton's younger brotherWickliffe also served in theIowa General Assembly. Aylett Cotton married Hattie Walker.[4] Cotton died on October 30, 1912. He was interred inWoodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery inColma, California.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 2nd congressional district March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875 | Succeeded by |
