History of Madison County Virginia United States of America

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Linn Banks, statesman, was born in Madison county, Va. For twenty successive years he was speaker of the Virginia house of delegates. Resigning in 1838 he was elected a representative to the 26th, and was re-elected to the 27th Congress. He resigned in September, 1841, and was thrown from his horse and drowned while fording Conway river, Jan. 14, 1842.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

James Lawson Kemper, governor of Virginia, was born in Madison county, Va., June 11, 1828; son of William and (Allison) Kemper; and a descendant of John Kemper, who arrived in Virginia in 1714, and was a member of one of the twelve families from Oldenburg who received grants from Gov. Alexander Spotswood to lands at Germania, Va.; and of John Jasper Stadler, a colonel of engineers on General Washington's staff. He was educated in his native county and was graduated from Washington college, Lexington, Va., in 1842, and then studied law under George W. Summers, of Charlestown, Va. He was commissioned captain in the volunteer army by President Polk in 1847, and served during the Mexican war. He was a representative in the Virginia legislature for ten years, was speaker of the house two years, and chairman of the committee on military affairs. He was married, July 4,1853, to Miss C. Conway, daughter of Belfield and Crimora (Jones) Cave, of Virginia. He was appointed colonel of the 7th Virginia regiment in May, 1861; served at the battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861; at the battle of Fair Oaks, May 31 to June 1, 1862, and was commissioned brigadier-general at Fair Oaks. He fought in the battle of Gaines's Mill, June 28, 1862; Frayser's Farm, June 80, 1862; Groveton, Aug. 29, 1862; South Mountain, Sept. 14, 1862; Antietam, Sept. 16 and 17, 1862; Fredericksburg, Va., Dec. 13, 1862, and at the battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 1, 2 and 3, 1863, where he was wounded. On recovering from his injury he was detailed to command the troops in and about Richmond, Va., and was promoted major-general, March 1, 1864. On the evacuation of Richmond, April 2, 1865, he returned to the practice of law in Madison county, Va. He was presidential elector-at-large on the Liberal Republican ticket in 1872, and was elected governor of Virginia by the Democratic party, serving, 1874-78, and at the close of his term engaged in farming in Orange county, Va. He published a volume of messages to the legislature (1876). He died in Orange county, Va., April 7, 1895.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Peter Early, governor of Georgia, was born in Madison county, Va., June 20, 1773; son of Joel Early. He was graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1792 and three years later after pursuing a course in law in Philadelphia he removed with his parents to Greene county, Ga., where he practisod law. He was a representative in the 7th, 8th and 9th congresses, 1801-07; judge of the suporior court of Georgia, Ocmulgee circuit, 1807-13; and governor of Georgia, 1813-15. As governor he carried into prompt execution the various orders and requisitions of the Federal government. He vetoed the "alleviation bill," passed by the legislature, Dec. 6, 1813, on the ground that it was unconstitutional, impairing the obligation of contracts, and unwise and inexpedient, being calculated to make fraud familiar and to destroy the pride of honesty. This action prevented his re-election to the governorship. He was subsequently a state senator. He was married to a sister of Gen. Thomas A. Smith, U.S.A. He died near Greensborough, Greene county, Ga., Aug. 15, 1817.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Robert Mallory, representative, was born in Madison county, Va., Nov. 15, 1815. He was graduated at the University of Virginia in 1827 and removed in 1839 to La Grange, Ky., where he engaged in farming. He was a representative from Kentucky in the 36th, 37th and 38th congresses, 1859-65, and served as chairman of the committee on roads and canals. He also served as delegate to the Philadelphia national union convention of 1866, and as a commissioner to the Centennial exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876, being one of the vice-presidents of the board of commissioners.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Madison County Virginia

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