Augustus A. Chapman

This article is about the Virginia politician and lawyer. For the founder of Houston, Texas, see Augustus Chapman Allen.

Augustus Alexandria Chapman (March 9, 1805 – June 7, 1876) was a 19th-century politician and lawyer from Virginia. Chapman served several terms in the Virginia House of Delegates, as well as one term in the United States House of Representatives. He was also elected to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850.

Augustus A. Chapman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 12th district
In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847
Preceded by	Thomas W. Gilmer
Succeeded by	William B. Preston
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Monroe County
In office December 7, 1857 – December 2, 1861
Preceded by	Alexander D. Haynes
Succeeded by	John M. Rowan
In office December 2, 1839 – December 6, 1841
Preceded by	James A. Dunlap
Succeeded by	Allen T. Caperton
In office December 7, 1835 – January 7, 1839
Preceded by	Henry Alexander
Succeeded by	James A. Dunlap
Personal details
Born	(1805-03-09)March 9, 1805 Union, Virginia, U.S. (now West Virginia)
Died	June 7, 1876(1876-06-07) (aged 71) Hinton, West Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary Rankin Beirne

Early life

Born in Union, Virginia (now West Virginia), Chapman studied law as a young adult, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Virginia in 1827.^[1]

Career

He was admitted to the bar in 1825 and commenced practice in Union, Virginia.^[2]

About 1829, Chapman settled in Monroe County, Virginia.^[3] He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1835 to 1841.^[4]

Chapman was later elected a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, serving two terms from 1843 to 1847.^[5]

Chapman was a member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention from 1850 to 1851 and later returned to the House of Delegates from 1857 to 1861.^[6]

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Chapman became a brigadier general of the Virginia Militia and as such took the field with his command in 1861.^[7] He was in charge of the 19th Brigade, which consisted of six regiments from Raleigh, Mercer, Fayette, Monroe, and Giles counties.^[8]

Later life

After the war, he resumed practicing law in his hometown and engaged in agricultural pursuits.^[9]

Death

Augustus Alexandria Chapman died on June 7, 1876, in Hinton, West Virginia. He is interred at Green Hill Cemetery in Union, West Virginia.^[10]

See also

• Biography portal
• American Civil War portal

• List of American Civil War generals (Acting Confederate)

References

1. Pulliam 1901, p. 103
2. Congressional Biographical Directory, "Augustus Chapman"
3. Pulliam 1901, p. 103
4. Swem 1913, p. 358
5. Congressional Biographical Directory, "Augustus Chapman"
6. Swem 1913, p. 358
7. Pulliam 1901, p. 103
8. Allardice, Bruce S., More Generals in Gray: : Spengler on World History and Politics (Political Traditions in Foreign Policy Series), Louisiana State Univ. Press, Baton Rouge, 1995, pg. 55, ISBN 978-0807131480
9. Congressional Biographical Directory, "Augustus Chapman"
10. Congressional Biographical Directory, "Augustus Chapman"

Bibliography

• "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present". bioguide.congress.gov. United States Congress. Retrieved January 1, 2016.

• Allardice, Bruce S. (1995). More Generals in Gray. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press. p. 287. ISBN 978-0-8071-3148-0.
• Eicher, John H.; Eicher, David J. (June 2002), Civil War High Commands, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press (published 2001), ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1
• Pulliam, David Loyd (1901). The Constitutional Conventions of Virginia from the foundation of the Commonwealth to the present time. John T. West, Richmond. ISBN 978-1-2879-2059-5.
• Swem, Earl Greg (1918). A Register of the General Assembly of Virginia, 1776-1918, and of the Constitutional Conventions. David Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing. ISBN 978-1-3714-6242-0.

External links

• United States Congress. "Augustus A. Chapman (id: C000308)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-08-12
• "Augustus A. Chapman". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
• Augustus A. Chapman at The Political Graveyard
• Chapman House, Historical Marker Database

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Thomas W. Gilmer	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 12th congressional district March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847 (obsolete district)	Succeeded by William B. Preston