Lucien Anderson

Lucien Anderson (June 23, 1824 – October 18, 1898) was a Unionist slave owner^[1] and United States Representative from Kentucky.

Lucien Anderson[lower-alpha 1]
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 1st district
In office March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865
Preceded by	Samuel L. Casey
Succeeded by	Lawrence S. Trimble
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
In office 1855-1857
Personal details
Born	(1824-06-23)June 23, 1824 Fleming County, Kentucky, US
Died	October 18, 1898(1898-10-18) (aged 74) Mayfield, Kentucky, US
Political party	Whig (before 1857) Union Democratic (1863–64) Unconditional Union (1864–65)
Profession	Lawyer Politician

Biography

Anderson was born near Mayfield, Kentucky.^[2] The spelling of his first name is disputed; his official Congressional biography and many contemporaneous accounts spelled it, "Lucien," but some modern biographers claim the original spelling was, "Lucian."^[3]

He attended the public schools and studied law.^[4] In 1845, he was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Mayfield.^[4] He served in local office including Graves County Attorney.^[4]

Anderson served as a Presidential Elector on the Whig ticket of Winfield Scott and William A. Graham in 1852.^[5] He served as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1855 to 1857^[6]

He was elected as Union Democrat to the Thirty-eighth Congress, but once in office emerged as a leader of the new Unconditional Union Party, which favored the abolition of slavery.^[7] Shortly following his election, he was kidnapped by Confederate sympathizers, but then released in a prisoner swap for some Confederate prisoners.^[8] While in Congress, he advocated for the emancipation of all slaves^[9] and voted for the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, despite having been a slave-owner, possibly even at the time of his voting for the Amendment.^[10]

He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1864. He served as a delegate to the 1864 National Union Convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln for re-election.^[11]

After leaving Congress, Anderson resumed the practice of law. Near the end of his life he was judged to be of unsound mind as the result of his age and ill health, and a trustee was appointed to manage his affairs.^[12] He died in Mayfield, Kentucky, on October 17, 1898.^[13]

References

1. "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, 2022-01-13, retrieved 2022-01-15
2. Kleber, John E. (1992). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-8131-1772-0.
3. Craig, Berry; Ullrich, Dieter C. (2016). Unconditional Unionist: The Hazardous Life of Lucian Anderson, Kentucky Congressman. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. Title page. ISBN 978-1-4766-6369-2.
4. The Kentucky Encyclopedia
5. Wilson, C. Y. (1891). Historical Notes and Statistics of Kentucky. Frankfort, KY: E. Polk Johnson. p. 16.
6. Journal of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Frankfort, KY: A. G. Hodges. 1856. p. 4.
7. Hood, James Larry (July 1978). "For the Union: Kentucky's Unconditional Unionist Congressmen and the Development of the Republican Party in Kentucky, 1863-1865". Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. 76 (3): 205.
8. Craig, Berry. "How four Kentucky congressmen helped end slavery". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
9. "EMANCIPATION IN KENTUCKY". The New York Times. 1864-04-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
10. Craig, Berry; Ullrich, Dieter C. (2016). Unconditional Unionist: The Hazardous Life of Lucian Anderson, Kentucky Congressman. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. Title page. ISBN 978-1-4766-6369-2.
11. Murphy, D. F. (1864). Proceedings of the National Union Convention. New York, NY: Baker & Godwin. p. 92.
12. "Adjudged a Lunatic: Col. Lucien Anderson Loses His Mind Because of Old Age and Ill health". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, KY. September 3, 1898. p. 7.
13. "Prominent Man: Death at Mayfield Yesterday Afternoon of Col. Lucien Anderson". Paducah Evening Sun. Paducah, KY. October 19, 1898. p. 1.

External links

• United States Congress. "Lucien Anderson (id: A000201)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Notes

1. Anderson's first name is spelled "Lucian" on his gravestone, as indicated in the photo on his Find A Grave memorial. Other sources, including his official Congressional biography, spell it "Lucien".

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Samuel L. Casey	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 1st congressional district March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865	Succeeded by Lawrence S. Trimble