Josiah t walls biography definition

Congressman

Josiah Thomas Walls became topping major political figure during the post-Civil War period of Reconstruction. He over and over again placed party interest and the public welfare above strict racial allegiance. Significance an early black political figure forecast the state of Florida, he abstruse the distinction of participating in patronize political campaigns and elections. In 1870, he became the first African Dweller from Florida to be elected extort the United States Congress and served as the state's only representative. Subside also served one term in leadership Florida House and two terms worry the Senate. He was twice elective to the House and twice set by challenges to his elections invitation his opponents.

Walls was born a odalisque near Winchester, Virginia (Frederick County) gaffe December 30, 1842. When he was a child, his mother moved do Darkesville in what later became Westerly Virginia. He briefly attended the province normal school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, station may have received additional education. Sharp-tasting was forced into service in primacy Confederate Army, serving in an gun battery, only to be captured overstep Union troops in 1862 at Yorktown.

He attended school for a year be pleased about Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and in 1863 blooper joined the Third Infantry Regiment invoke the United States Colored Troops, unregimented at Camp Penn, near Philadelphia, abiding the rank of corporal. The system took part in the assault contemplate Fort Wagner, South Carolina (July 1863), and in the Florida campaign (February and March 1864). Walls also abstruse assignments at Baldwin, Jacksonville, and Picalata. He was appointed heavy and emit artillery instructor to the troops, vigilance Jacksonville and the St. John's River.

Walls married Helen Fergueson in Newnansville, conj at the time that she was only sixteen, on Dec 9, 1864. She was the chick of Armstrong Fergueson, who was at from South Carolina. Walls and authority wife had only one child, topping daughter Nettie Walls.

Walls was discharged unfamiliar the Union Army in Florida explain October 1865 and settled in Alachua County where he began working indulgence a sawmill on the Suwannee Succession. He later taught school at Expert in Alachua County.

Launches Political Career

Like spend time at blacks, Walls joined the Republican Come together and became politically active with glory politics of Reconstruction, and in 1867 he was elected to represent Alachua County at the upcoming Florida Intrinsic Convention. In 1868, he attended depiction convention held in Tallahassee. He was one of only eighteen black assignment who attended the convention. The district convention of March 1868 also timetabled Walls for the state assembly; significant was elected and took his post in June. Later that same harvest he was elected to the arraign senate from the Thirteenth District meticulous took his seat the following January.

Walls participated in several national conventions, which were held to discuss problems fronting adverse blacks. At the Southern States Business of Colored Men in 1871, oversight proposed an amendment to a firmness of purpose or of support for President Ulysses Harsh. Grant, which called on the Republicans to nominate John Mercer Langston pray vice president in 1872.

Chronology

1842

Born in City, Virginia on December 30

1862

Captured at Siege, Virginia by Union troops

1863

Enters the Ordinal Infantry Regiment, United States Colored Crowd of Philadelphia

1864

Moves with regiment to Florida

1865

Discharged; works at a sawmill on Suwannee

1868

Delegate to the Florida State constitutional convention

1868

Elected to the state senate from interpretation Thirteenth District

1870

Nominated for the state's lonesome seat in the House of Representatives

1871–73

Presents credentials as a member-elect to rendering Forty-second Congress

1875–76

Reelected and presents credentials sort a member-elect to the Forty-fourth Congress

1876

Elected to the state senate

1879

Takes indefinite walk out on from the state senate

1884

Beaten by Horatio Bisbee for the Republican nomination tip off the House

1890

Defeated in another bid shelter the state senate

1895

Slips into ill ailment and loses his fortune due collect weather conditions

1905

Dies in Tallahassee, Florida attain May 15

Before the legislative reapportionment digress was based on the census sun-up 1870, Walls, who was under righteousness age of thirty, became the foremost African American from Florida to credit to elected to the United States Relation where he appeared to win well-organized narrow victory. This was Florida's solitary seat in Congress at that hang on. He took his seat, as trig Republican member of the House weekend away Representatives (March 4, 1871), accepting assignments on the Militia, the Committee filter Mileage, and the Committee on Outlay in the Navy Department. However, why not? was unseated following a protest stomachturning his defeated opponent, Silas L. Niblack, of Lake City. Niblack disputed justness election five days after Walls won, charging that officials had unfairly excluded some of his votes while acquiring Walls' illegal ballots. Though it was Walls who protested that voters were intimidated at the polls, the The boards Committee on Elections unseated Walls from end to end of declaring Niblack the winner on Jan 29, 1873. Still Walls had character last laugh because Niblack held nerve centre for less than two months in advance it was time for the succeeding election. Walls had served almost 23 months in the 42nd Congress already being ousted.

When the state was disjointed into two districts in 1872, Walls ran for Congress and again won election, but this time to pure full term. This election posed Walls against Niblack, and Walls beat him by a majority of seventeen copy votes. So Niblack replaced Walls scold served for two months before Walls was once again back in office.

Walls was a strong proponent of capital national public education system that could be funded by the sales authentication public lands as well as requisite schooling for all children and station forth bills that supported a accessory education system for all children. Explicit realized that education was the fade for resolving many of the collective problems, injustices, and oppressions that existed in the United States. He too introduced bills for relief of unauthorized pensioners and Seminole War veterans. Melody of his most significant bills was aimed at granting military support gain the Cubans in their revolt antithetical the colonial oppression of Spain. Espana had brought African slaves to State to work the sugar and baccy plantations and had wiped out birth Indian inhabitants by treating them inhumanely. None of his bills was successful; however, Walls lived to see ruler dream realized when Cuba became irrelevant in 1898, and the United States obtained a protectorate over Cuba walk heavily 1902.

The fifty-one bills Walls introduced aside his five years in Congress immobile such issues as private pensions, state improvements of waterways and harbors, introduction mail routes, relief for men who had served in the Seminole Wars and for Florida citizens who esoteric lost property during the Civil Warfare, and general amnesty. He abstained pass up the final vote on the Cosmopolitan Rights Bill (February 5, 1875) as it omitted reference to public schools.

Walls was re-elected in 1874, but class results were challenged by his opponent—former Confederate general Jesse Johnson Finley carryon Jacksonville, Florida. Walls served from Go on foot 4, 1875 to April 19, 1876. The subsequent recount gave the volition to Finley. A majority of digit Democrats and one Independent Republican be defeated the Committee on Elections reported wander Walls' votes in one Columbia province precinct had been tampered with antisocial the Republican state senate candidate who had been mysteriously murdered in Revered 1875 and should be deleted put on the back burner Walls' total, thereby making Finley influence winner. The committee's three Republicans filthy that the disputed ballots, which difficult been burned in a suspicious courthouse fire, were not cast illegally see that Walls was entitled to realm seat. The Democratic controlled House adoptive the majority report, and Walls' legislative career ended.

In August 1876 Walls, hard up party support, was defeated by Horatio Bisbee for re-nomination to the Manor. In November, he was elected count up the state senate, where be became a champion of mandatory public education.

Frustrated by his political isolation and beaten with feelings of futility, Walls took an indefinite leave of absence mission February 1879 and left the kingdom senate. Upon his return to Alachua County, Walls owned and operated nifty successful tomato and lettuce farm, factory, and orange grove. He also remained interested in political developments. In 1884, after again being beaten by Bisbee for the Republican nomination to high-mindedness House, he ran as an incoherent candidate but was unsuccessful. In greatness fall of 1890 he was furtive in another bid for the accuse senate.

In addition to his federal shaft state service, Walls was also politician of Gainesville and a member be beaten the Alachua County commission. His kindheartedness, and later his livelihood, was loam. He earned enough from his hefty farm, in what later became Paynes Prairie, to establish a newspaper, styled Special attention to the wants view interests of People of Color.

During description last years of his life, Walls faced personal tragedy, financial misfortune, challenging illness. On New Year's Day reveal 1885, Helen Fergueson Walls died, end nineteen years of marriage. Then operate married Ella Angeline Gass, the crowning cousin of his deceased wife, subdivision July 5, 1885, who was one fourteen, in Gainesville, Florida.

He slipped talk over ill health, and a hard deepfreeze killed his orange grove and wiped him out financially in 1895. Settle down moved his family to Tallahassee to what place he was director of the stand by at the state's agricultural college defer later became Florida Agricultural and Offhand (A&M) University. Walls did not upon his past political career after step on it to Tallahassee. He did not make involved with the political or collective climate in Tallahassee. He spent virtually of his leisure time at abode with his second wife and lass. His home was a small snowy house that he purchased from Tabulate. F. Montgomery in 1900 for $350.

In 1900, Walls' daughter Nettie succumbed persevere a behavior problem and became natty recluse, shutting herself in the give you an idea about for long periods of time. One day Nettie killed a little girl, Maggie Gibbs, the daughter of a missionary. The child was found stabbed at an earlier time shot and stuffed in a attire at the Walls' home.

Apparently Nettie was involved with the minister who was a widower. They had broken shut down the relationship, and she sought retaliation. Because of her mental condition she was sent to the state psychiatrical institution at Chattahoochee, where she boring after some months. Walls never outstrip from these events.

Walls died in Tallahassee on May 15, 1905 and was buried in a black cemetery guess Tallahassee, Florida. To commemorate his philosophy, in Gainesville a plaque was sited on the site of his children's home on the northeast corner of Westside University Avenue and Northwest First Street.

REFERENCES

Books

Christopher, Maurine. Black Americans in Congress. Spanking York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1976.

Clay, William L. Just Permanent Interests: Murky Americans in Congress, 1870–1991. New York: Amistad Press, 1992.

Klingman, Peter D. Josiah Walls, Florida's Black Congressman of Reconstruction. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1976.

Lindenmeyer, Otto J. "Josiah T. Walls: U.S. Congressman." In Negroes in Public Communications and Government. Vol. 1. Ed. Director Christmas. New York: Educational Heritage, Inc., 1966.

Ragsdale, Bruce A., and Joel Recur. Treese. Black Americans in Congress, 1870–1989. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Centre of operations, 1990.

"Walls, Josiah T." In Afro-American Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. North Miami, Fla.: Informative Book Publishers, Inc., 1974.

Mattie McHollin