Edwin Godwin Reade
Encyclopedia
Edwin Godwin Reade was a U.S. Congressman
from North Carolina
between 1855 and 1857. He later served in the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War
.
in 1812; a lawyer, he was admitted to the bar in 1835 and practiced in Roxboro
.
Reade served a single term in the 34th United States Congress
as a member of the American Party
(March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857), and refused to run for re-election in 1856. In 1863, Governor Zebulon Vance appointed Reade to the Confederate Senate to fill the seat of George Davis
, who had resigned to become the Confederacy's Attorney General
.
Following the Civil War, Reade presided over the Reconstruction convention in 1865 in Raleigh
, North Carolina
. In 1868, he was named as associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
, a post he held until 1879. Following his retirement from government, Reade engaged in banking in Raleigh, where he died in 1894. He is buried in Raleigh's Oakwood Cemetery.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
between 1855 and 1857. He later served in the Confederate Congress during the American 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...
.
Biography
Edwin Reade was born in Person County, North CarolinaPerson County, North Carolina
Person County is a county located in the Piedmont region in north-central North Carolina in the United States. It is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Area. The population was 39,464 at the 2010 census.The county seat is Roxboro...
in 1812; a lawyer, he was admitted to the bar in 1835 and practiced in Roxboro
Roxboro, North Carolina
Roxboro is a city and the county seat of Person County, North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the city of Roxboro has a population of 8,362. The city is 30 miles north of Durham, NC. It is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Area.-History:...
.
Reade served a single term in the 34th United States Congress
34th United States Congress
The Thirty-fourth 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, 1855 to March 4, 1857, during the last two years...
as a member of the American Party
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
(March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857), and refused to run for re-election in 1856. In 1863, Governor Zebulon Vance appointed Reade to the Confederate Senate to fill the seat of George Davis
George Davis (politician)
George Davis was a Confederate States of America political figure and the last Confederate Attorney General, serving from 1864 to 1865.He was not related to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.-Early life and career:...
, who had resigned to become the Confederacy's Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
.
Following the Civil War, Reade presided over the Reconstruction convention in 1865 in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. In 1868, he was named as associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
North Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...
, a post he held until 1879. Following his retirement from government, Reade engaged in banking in Raleigh, where he died in 1894. He is buried in Raleigh's Oakwood Cemetery.