Washington Curran Whitthorne | |
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| United States Senator fromTennessee | |
| In office April 16, 1886 – March 3, 1887 | |
| Appointed by | William B. Bate |
| Preceded by | Howell E. Jackson |
| Succeeded by | William B. Bate |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's7th district | |
| In office March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1883 | |
| Preceded by | John Atkins |
| Succeeded by | John G. Ballentine |
| In office March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | John Ballentine |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas N. Cox |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's6th district | |
| In office March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel M. Arnell |
| Succeeded by | John F. House |
| Member of theTennessee House of Representatives | |
| In office 1859-1861 | |
| Member of theTennessee Senate | |
| In office 1855-1858 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1825-04-19)April 19, 1825 |
| Died | September 21, 1891(1891-09-21) (aged 66) Columbia, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of America |
| Branch/service |  Confederate States Army |
| Rank | Adjutant General |
Washington Curran Whitthorne (April 19, 1825 – September 21, 1891) was aTennesseeattorney,Democraticpolitician, and anAdjutant General in theConfederate Army.
Whitthorne was born nearPetersburg, Tennessee inMarshall County.[1] One day when Whitthorne was youngJames K. Polk stayed at his family's home.[2] Polk saw how bright he was and asked, "What are you going to make of this boy?" His father replied "I am going to make him the President of the United States."[2] Polk then told them to send the boy toColumbia and he would make him a lawyer. He attended Campbell Academy inLebanon, Tennessee and subsequently East Tennessee College (now theUniversity of Tennessee) where he graduated in 1843.[1] He subsequently studied law and was admitted to thebar in 1845, serving in various governmental positions, and working forJames K. Polk until he entered private practice in 1848 inColumbia, Tennessee. He owned slaves.[3] On July 4, 1848 Whitthorne married Matilda Jane Campbell, a cousin of Polk.[2]
He was elected to serve in theTennessee State Senate from 1855 to 1858. Whitthorne was then electedSpeaker of theTennessee House of Representatives from 1859 to 1861.[2]
In 1861 he becameAdjutant General of Tennessee for theConfederacy, and served in that post through the end of theCivil War. He also served on the staff ofgenerals Robert Anderson,Marcus Joseph Wright, Samuel P. Carter, andWilliam J. Hardee.[1]
After Lee had surrendered at Appomattox, Whitthorne was held as prisoner of war at Columbia in order to be shielded from Federal prosecution. PresidentAndrew Johnson interceded, gave him a Presidential pardon, and restored hiscivil rights. In 1870, Whitthorne began a campaign for theUnited States House of Representatives.[4] He won the election and would eventually serve six consecutive terms during his initial service in the House of Representatives, chairing theHouse Committee on Naval Affairs from 1875 to 1881.[4]
Upon the resignation of SenatorHowell E. Jackson, Whitthorne was appointed to theU.S. Senate bygovernor of TennesseeWilliam B. Bate and then subsequently elected to the balance of the term by theTennessee General Assembly, serving in the Senate from April 16, 1886 to March 3, 1887.[1] Following his Senate service he served two more subsequent consecutive terms in theUnited States House of Representatives, from 1887 to 1891. After serving in the House of Representatives Whitthorne returned toColumbia and died there later in 1891, being interred at Rose Hill Cemetery.[4] Whitthorne Middle School in Columbia, formerly Whitthorne Junior High School, is named in his honor.
Media related toWashington C. Whitthorne at Wikimedia Commons| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 6th Congressional District 1871–1875 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District 1875–1883 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by John Ballentine | U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District 1887–1891 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from Tennessee 1886–1887 Served alongside:Isham G. Harris | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
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| Class 2 | ||
Chairs of theUnited States House Committee on Armed Services | ||
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| Military Affairs Committee (1822–1947) |  | |
| Naval Affairs Committee (1822–1947) | ||
| Armed Services Committee* (from 1947) | ||
*Alternately namedNational Security in 104th and 105th Congresses. | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
