Edgar Weeks
Encyclopedia
Edgar Weeks was a military officer, judge and politician from the U.S. state
of Michigan
.
, where he attended the public schools and learned the printing trade. He studied law and was admitted to the bar
in January 1861.
During the Civil War
, he served in Company B, Fifth Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and was first sergeant of the company. He became first lieutenant and adjutant of the Twenty-second Michigan Infantry in 1862 and captain in 1863. He was appointed assistant inspector general of the Third Brigade, Second Division, Reserve Corps, Army of the Cumberland
, in 1863 and was mustered out in December 1863.
After the war, he was proprietor and editor of a Republican
newspaper in Mount Clemens and commenced the practice of law in Mount Clemens in 1866. He served as prosecuting attorney 1867-1870 and then as judge of probate of Macomb County
, 1870-1876.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1884 to the 49th United States Congress
, but in 1898 was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 7th congressional district
to the 56th Congress
. He was re-elected to the 57th Congress
, serving from March 4, 1899 to March 3, 1903. He was chair of the Committee on Elections
No. 3 in the 57th Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1902, losing in the Republican primary election to Henry McMorran
, who went on to be elected to fill Weeks's seat in the House.
Edgar Weeks resumed the practice of law and died at the age of sixty-five in Mount Clemens, where he is interred in the Clinton Grove Cemetery.
Edgar Weeks' cousin, John Wingate Weeks, was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, and U.S. Secretary of War
under Warren G. Harding
.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Biography
Weeks was born in Mount Clemens, MichiganMount Clemens, Michigan
Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,312. It is the county seat of Macomb County.-Early history:...
, where he attended the public schools and learned the printing trade. He studied law and was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in January 1861.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, he served in Company B, Fifth Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and was first sergeant of the company. He became first lieutenant and adjutant of the Twenty-second Michigan Infantry in 1862 and captain in 1863. He was appointed assistant inspector general of the Third Brigade, Second Division, Reserve Corps, Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
, in 1863 and was mustered out in December 1863.
After the war, he was proprietor and editor of a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
newspaper in Mount Clemens and commenced the practice of law in Mount Clemens in 1866. He served as prosecuting attorney 1867-1870 and then as judge of probate of Macomb County
Macomb County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 788,149 people, 309,203 households, and 210,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,640 people per square mile . There were 320,276 housing units at an average density of 667 per square mile...
, 1870-1876.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1884 to the 49th United States Congress
49th United States Congress
The Forty-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1885 to March 4, 1887, during the first two years...
, but in 1898 was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 7th congressional district
Michigan's 7th congressional district
Michigan's 7th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan. It consists of all of Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson, and Lenawee counties, and includes most of Calhoun and a large portion of western and northern Washtenaw counties.In the November 2, 2010...
to the 56th Congress
56th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:- Leadership :- Senate :* President: Garret Hobart , until November 21, 1899 , vacant thereafter.* President pro tempore: William P. Frye * Democratic Caucus Chairman: James K. Jones...
. He was re-elected to the 57th Congress
57th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:*Democratic: 151*Republican: 200 *Populist: 5*Silver : 1TOTAL members: 357-Leadership:-Senate:* President: Theodore Roosevelt , until September 14, 1901, vacant thereafter....
, serving from March 4, 1899 to March 3, 1903. He was chair of the Committee on Elections
United States House Committee on Elections
The United States House Committee on Elections is a former standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.Article 1, section 5, of the Constitution of the United States specifies: "Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns, and Qualifications of its own Members." The...
No. 3 in the 57th Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1902, losing in the Republican primary election to Henry McMorran
Henry McMorran
Henry Gordon McMorran was an American Republican politician and businessman.He served five terms in the U.S. Congress as a U.S...
, who went on to be elected to fill Weeks's seat in the House.
Edgar Weeks resumed the practice of law and died at the age of sixty-five in Mount Clemens, where he is interred in the Clinton Grove Cemetery.
Edgar Weeks' cousin, John Wingate Weeks, was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, and U.S. Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
under Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
.