John Critcher was a U.S. Representative

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 Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

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Born at Oak Grove, Virginia

Oak Grove, Virginia

Oak Grove is an unincorporated community in the Washington District of Westmoreland County, Virginia. The community, on the historic Northern Neck of Virginia , was a Colonial stagecoach stop in the early days of the Colony of Virginia. It is only minutes from the birthplaces of George Washington...

, Critcher attended Brent's Preparatory School.
He was graduated from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville in 1839, and later pursued higher studies in France for three years.
He studied law.
He was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

 in 1842 and commenced practice in Westmoreland County, Virginia

Westmoreland County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,718 people, 6,846 households, and 4,689 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,286 housing units at an average density of...

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He served in the State senate 1861 and 1874-1877.
He served as member of the State secession convention in 1861.
He served as lieutenant colonel of Cavalry in the Confederate States Army

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

 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...

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He was appointed judge of the eighth judicial circuit of Virginia, but was removed under the resolution of Congress dated February 18, 1869, which provided that anyone who had borne arms against the United States should be dismissed from office within thirty days.

Critcher was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Forty-second

42nd United States Congress

The Forty-second 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, 1871 to March 3, 1873, during the third and fourth...

 Congress (March 4, 1871-March 3, 1873).
He died in Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...

, September 27, 1901.
He was interred in Ivy Hill Cemetery

Ivy Hill Cemetery

Ivy Hill Cemetery is a cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Burials began in 1811, and it received a charter as a community cemetery in 1856....

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