Peter J. Otey | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's6th district | |
| In office March 4, 1895 – May 4, 1902 | |
| Preceded by | Paul C. Edmunds |
| Succeeded by | Carter Glass |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1840-12-22)December 22, 1840 |
| Died | May 4, 1902(1902-05-04) (aged 61) Lynchburg, Virginia, US |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Virginia Military Institute |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Branch/service | Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 51st Virginia Infantry |
| Commands | 30th Virginia Sharpshooters Battalion |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Fort Donelson,Battle of Shiloh,Battle of Cedar Creek,Battle of New Market,Battle of Waynesboro |
Peter Johnston Otey (December 22, 1840 – May 4, 1902) was formerConfederate States Army officer and later prisoner of war during theAmerican Civil War, who became businessman, land developer and railroad executive before retiring and winning election to theUnited States House of Representatives as aDemocrat fromLynchburg, Virginia, and serving three terms before his death.[1][2]
Peter J. Otey was born on December 22, 1840, inLynchburg, Virginia, to Lucy (née Norvell) and bankerJohn Mathews Otey (1792–1859). He was a nephew of Episcopal BishopJames Hervey Otey, and his ancestors John Floyd (a privateer) and John Otey (commanding Kent County riflemen) fought in theAmerican Revolutionary War.[3] He had at least three elder brothers: Col. Kirkwood Otey (1832–1897), Capt. George Gaston Otey (1834–1862) and Capt. Water Hays Otey (1837–1890). His father owned seven enslaved females and five enslaved males (including 20 and 30 year old black men) in 1850.[4] Otey attended private schools in Lynchburg, then like his brothers theVirginia Military Institute. Shortly before graduating, he and his fellow cadets were sent to combatJohn Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry. He graduated on July 1, 1860, with a degree in civil engineering.[5]
Otey married Mary Malvina Floyd on April 14, 1863, inWytheville, Virginia. Their son John Floyd Otey died as a teenager, although three daughters survived their parents.
On the outbreak of the American Civil War, Otey left his job on the Virginia and Kentucky Railroad, and supposedly fired a cannon at Sewell's Point after Virginia seceded and actually hit a Union vessel,[6] as well as fought with the U.S. Monticello on May 19, 1861.[7] He became a lieutenant in Company S,51st Virginia Infantry in theArmy of the Kanawha under Col. Gabriel C. Wharton (VMI class of 1847, who had become a civil engineer in Arizona), former VMI mathematics professor Lt.Col. James W. Massie and former Virginia Governor GeneralJohn B. Floyd (uncle of his fiancee, later wife). Otey served as a staff officer, and the 51st Virginia was tasked with protecting theKanawha Valley and its salt and other mines, but had little success. The regiment suffered defeats at Carnifax Ferry and Cotton Hill in 1861 and in February 1862 atFort Donelson,Tennessee, although only 2 members surrendered and the majority including this Otey escaped to defendNashville.[8] His three elder brothers also became Confederate officers:Kirkwood Otey commanded the11th Virginia Infantry including at theBattle of Gettysburg (during which he sustained a shoulder wound); George Gaston Otey (who had begun the war as adjutant of the1st Virginia Infantry) organized the "Otey Company" of light artillery in March 1862 which was sent to Western Virginia and east Tennessee and became the13th Virginia Light Artillery by the war's end (after G.G. Otey died in October of wounds received at theBattle of Lewisburg[9] in what became West Virginia in May); Walter Hays Otey of VMI's class of 1859 served with the 16th Virginia and 56th Virginia before resigning for health reasons and organizing a company of local defense light artillery at the Danville Arsenal.[10]
On October 5, 1862, Peter Otey was promoted to major of the30th Virginia Sharpshooters Battalion inGeneral Lee'sArmy of Northern Virginia.[11] He then he fought numerous battles (including theBattle of Shiloh) and defended Lynchburg as the unit was assigned to General Jubal Early's Army of the Valley. Major Otey receive an arm injury at theBattle of New Market, and was sent to Lynchburg to recover. Among those who surrendered after theBattle of Waynesboro, Major Otey was taken as aprisoner of war toFort Delaware, where he remained until the war's end, alongside future House speakerCharles F. Crisp.[12]
After the war, Otey started working as a cashier for the Lynchburg National Bank, sold insurance and was later named the general manager of the Rivermont Land Co.[13] Otey worked with for former Confederate GeneralWilliam Mahone on theAtlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad, but after that bankruptcy, split with that controversial figure. Starting in 1887[14] Otry organized and built theLynchburg & Durham Railroad and became its president until June 21, 1891, when Otey retired shortly before his railroad merged with theNorfolk and Western Railway.[15]
First running for public office in 1894, Otey was elected as aDemocrat to the Fifty-fourth and three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1895, until his death. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1896. On February 1, 1900, Otey introduced H.R. 277, which proposed to purchase land inManassas, Virginia, to establish a national battle park on the grounds of theFirst Battle of Manassas, which was implemented (and expended) three decades later during the Great Depression.[16]
Otey died inLynchburg, Virginia, May 4, 1902, survived by his wife and daughters and was interred in the city's Presbyterian Cemetery.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 6th congressional district 1895–1902 | Succeeded by |
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