Thomas C. Catchings
Thomas Clendinen Catchings (January 11, 1847 – December 24, 1927) was a U.S. Representative from Mississippi.
Thomas Clendinen Catchings | |
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![]() 1893 | |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 3rd district | |
In office March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1901 | |
Preceded by | Elza Jeffords |
Succeeded by | Patrick S. Henry |
Mississippi Attorney General | |
In office 1878-1885 | |
Mississippi State Senate | |
In office 1875-1877 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Brownsville, Mississippi | January 11, 1847
Died | December 24, 1927 80) Vicksburg, Mississippi | (aged
Resting place | Cedar Hill Cemetery[1] Vicksburg, Mississippi |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Florence Shearer |
Alma mater | University of Mississippi at Oxford |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Rank | Private |
Unit | ![]() 11th Mississippi Cavalry |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Biography
Born near Brownsville, Mississippi, Catchings was tutored at home. He attended the University of Mississippi at Oxford in 1859, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall, and Oakland College in 1861. He studied law.
He entered the Confederate States Army in 1861 and served as a private in Company K, Eighteenth Mississippi Infantry, and subsequently in Company C, Eleventh Mississippi Cavalry.[2]
He was admitted to the bar in 1866 and commenced practice in Vicksburg.
Catchings was elected to the Mississippi State Senate in 1875 but resigned in 1877.
Catchings was elected Mississippi Attorney General in 1877. He was reelected in 1881 and served until February 16, 1885.
Catchings was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-ninth and to the seven succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1885–March 3, 1901). He served as chairman of the Committee on Levees and Improvements of the Mississippi River (Fiftieth Congress), Committee on Railways and Canals (Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses), Committee on Rivers and Harbors (Fifty-third Congress). He first introduced a bill for Vicksburg National Military Park in January 1896. When it failed to pass, although favorably reported by committee, he re-introduced the bill in the next Congress in December 1897.[3]
He resumed the practice of law. He also served as division counsel for the Southern Railway Co.. He served as member of the Mississippi Code Commission by appointment of Governor Vardaman.
He died in Vicksburg, Mississippi, December 24, 1927. He was interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery.
Notes
- "Thomas Clendinen Catchings". Find A Grave. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- Giambrone, Jeff (2012). Remembering Mississippi's Confederates. Arcadia Publishing. p. 94.
- "The First Battlefield Parks". National Park Service. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
References
- United States Congress. "Thomas C. Catchings (id: C000247)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Legal offices | ||
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Preceded by George E. Harris |
Attorney General of Mississippi 1878–1885 |
Succeeded by Thomas S. Ford |
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
Preceded by Elza Jeffords |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 3rd congressional district 1885-1901 |
Succeeded by Patrick S. Henry |