John Snyder Carlile | |
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| United States Senator fromVirginia | |
| In office July 9, 1861 – March 4, 1865 | |
| Preceded by | Robert M. T. Hunter |
| Succeeded by | John W. Johnston |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's11th district | |
| In office March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857 | |
| Preceded by | Charles S. Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Albert G. Jenkins |
| In office March 4, 1861 – July 9, 1861 | |
| Preceded by | Albert G. Jenkins |
| Succeeded by | Jacob B. Blair |
| Member of theVirginia Senate | |
| In office 1847–1851 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1817-12-16)December 16, 1817 Winchester, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | October 24, 1878(1878-10-24) (aged 60) |
| Political party | Union |
| Spouse | Mary Ellen Gittings |
| Profession | Lawyer, politician |
John Snyder Carlile (December 16, 1817 – October 24, 1878) was anAmerican merchant, lawyer, slaveowner and politician, including aUnited States senator. A strong supporter of theUnion cause during theAmerican Civil War, he represented the loyalist faction ofVirginia, which was eventually separated into two distinct states.
Carlile was born inWinchester, Virginia. He was educated by his mother until he was fourteen years old, when he became salesman in a store, and at the age of seventeen went into business on his own account. He then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1840, and began practice inBeverly. Entering politics, he joined theDemocratic Party. He was selected as a delegate to theVirginia state constitutional convention in 1850. Carlile served in theVirginia State Senate from 1847 to 1851. He joined the newKnow Nothing political movement in 1854 and representedVirginia's 11th District in theUnited States House for one term.
Carlile was a delegate fromHarrison County to the Virginiasecessionconvention in 1861, voting no on the controversial resolution. He was a leader in the anti-secession movement, and was prominent in theWheeling Convention of June 1861. On June 13, 1861, at the first session of the Second Wheeling Convention, Carlile authored "A Declaration of the People of Virginia." The document pronounced Virginia's Ordinance of Secession illegal because the convention at which it had been drafted had been convened by the General Assembly, not by a referendum. It also called for the reorganization of the government of Virginia, arguing that due to Virginia's decision to secede from the United States, all state government offices had been vacated. The pro-UnionRestored Government of Virginia was quickly recognized byPresidentAbraham Lincoln andCongress as the legitimate government of the entire Commonwealth of Virginia, with Wheeling as its provisional capital. He was averse, however, to the formation of a new state out of the bulk of the pro-Union territory of Virginia—what becameWest Virginia.
Carlile was again chosen to Congress in 1861 by theUnion Party, but kept his seat in the House of Representatives only from July 4 through July 13, when he was elected as one of two United States Senators representing the Restored Government. He served until 1865. In the Senate, he was uniformly in favor of a strict construction of theConstitution, opposing all measures recognizing that there existed a rebellion of states instead of individuals, and denying the right of Congress to interfere in any way with the slaves (Carlile being a slaveowner himself). He frequently met with Lincoln to try to garner his support for his causes.
Following the war, Carlile retired from politics and returned home to resume his law practice. He died inClarksburg, West Virginia, and was buried in theOdd Fellows Cemetery.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 11th congressional district March 4, 1855 – March 4, 1857 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 11th congressional district March 4, 1861 – July 9, 1861 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Virginia July 9, 1861 – March 4, 1865 Served alongside:Waitman T. Willey,Lemuel J. Bowden | Succeeded by |
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| Class 2 | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
