Barnes Compton | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's5th district | |
| In office 1891–1894 | |
| Preceded by | Sydney Emanuel Mudd I |
| Succeeded by | Charles E. Coffin |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's5th district | |
| In office 1885–1890 | |
| Preceded by | Hart B. Holton |
| Succeeded by | Sydney Emanuel Mudd I |
| Treasurer of Maryland | |
| In office 1874–1885 | |
| Governor | William Pinkney Whyte James Black Groome John Lee Carroll William T. Hamilton Robert Milligan McLane |
| Preceded by | John W. Davis |
| Succeeded by | John Sterett Gittings |
| President of the Maryland State Senate | |
| In office 1868–1870 | |
| Preceded by | Christopher C. Cox |
| Succeeded by | Henry Snyder |
| Member of theMaryland Senate | |
| In office 1867–1872 | |
| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates | |
| In office 1860–1861 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1830-11-16)November 16, 1830 Port Tobacco, Maryland |
| Died | December 2, 1898(1898-12-02) (aged 68) Laurel, Maryland |
| Resting place | Loudon Park Cemetery |
| Political party | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6 |
| Alma mater | Princeton College (A.B.) |
Barnes Compton (November 16, 1830 – December 2, 1898) was aRepresentative of thefifth congressional district ofMaryland and aTreasurer of Maryland.[1][2]
Barnes Compton was born on November 16, 1830, inPort Tobacco,Charles County, Maryland to Mary Clarissa (née Barnes) and William Penn Compton.[1][3] His parents both died when he was young, and he was raised until 1843 by his grandfather, John Barnes.[1] He attended theCharlotte Hall Military Academy inSt. Mary's County, Maryland for his formal education, and graduated fromPrinceton College with a bachelor's degree in June 1851.[1][3] At a young age, he became the second largest slaveholder in Charles County.[1]
After college, Compton returned home and engaged in agricultural pursuits and as a planter. He first ran for theState House of Delegates under theWhig ticket in 1855, but lost.[1] He re-ran in 1859 as aDemocrat and served as a member of the State House of Delegates in 1860 and 1861.[1]
In the 1861 session, held inFrederick, a number of legislative members were suspected of Confederate sympathies and were arrested upon arrival in Frederick. Compton evaded arrest by fleeing across thePotomac. In 1865, Compton was arrested and imprisoned at theOld Capitol under suspicion of aiding and abettingJohn Wilkes Booth after theLincoln Assassination, but the information was proven false and he was released after four days.[1]
He was also a member of theState Senate in 1867, 1868, 1870, and 1872, during the 1868 and 1870 sessions he served as the Senate president in 1868. Compton also served as State Tobacco Inspector in 1873 and 1874 and asTreasurer of Maryland from 1874 to 1885.[1][3]
Compton then moved toLaurel inPrince George's County, Maryland in 1880 and was elected as aDemocrat to theForty-ninth andFiftieth United States Congress (March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889). He presented credentials asMember-elect to theFifty-first United States Congress and served from March 4, 1889, to March 20, 1890, when he was succeeded bySydney E. Mudd, Sr., who contested the election. A committee was appointed to investigatevoter fraud and ruled in favor of Mudd.[1] Compton was later elected to theFifty-second andFifty-third United States Congress and served from March 4, 1891, until his resignation, effective May 15, 1894 when he was then appointed by PresidentGrover Cleveland as Naval Officer of thePort of Baltimore, a post in which he served from 1894 to 1898.[1][3]
Compton taught agriculture at theMaryland Agricultural College. He also sat on the board of trustees for the Charlotte Hall Military Academy, the School Commission of Charles County, and theMaryland Hospital for the Insane. In 1890, he was a cofounder and appointed director of theCitizens National Bank of Laurel.[3] In 1898, he was made president of the Guarantee Building and Loan Association of Baltimore.[1]
He married Margaret Holiday Sothoron ofSt. Mary's County on October 27, 1858.[3] Together, they had four sons and two daughters:[1]
He was the great-grandson ofPhilip Key.[1] He was a friend ofArthur Pue Gorman.[1][3]
Compton died on December 2, 1898, of paralysis inLaurel, Maryland.[1] He was interred inLoudon Park Cemetery inBaltimore.[1][3]
Media related toBarnes Compton at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | President of the Maryland State Senate 1868–1870 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Treasurer of Maryland 1874—1885 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Representative of the Fifth Congressional District of Maryland 1885—1890 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Representative of the Fifth Congressional District of Maryland 1891—1894 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
