William Shepperd Ashe

William Shepperd Ashe (August 12, 1813 – September 14, 1862) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from North Carolina between 1849 and 1855.[1]

For other people named William Ashe, see William Ashe (disambiguation).

William Shepperd Ashe
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 7th district
In office
1849–1853
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 3rd district
In office
1853–1855
Personal details
Born(1813-08-12)August 12, 1813
Rocky Point, North Carolina
DiedSeptember 14, 1862(1862-09-14) (aged 49)
Wilmington, North Carolina
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Sarah Ann Green
Alma materTrinity College
OccupationLawyer
Military service
Allegiance Confederate States
Years of service1861-1862
Rank Colonel[1]
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Biography

Born in Rocky Point, North Carolina in 1813,[2] Ashe attended school in Fayetteville and pursued classical studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Ashe engaged in rice cultivation and studied law; he was admitted to the state bar in 1836 and practiced in New Hanover County.

Active in the Democratic Party, Ashe was a presidential elector in 1844 and was elected to the North Carolina Senate for a term of two years (1846–1848). In 1848, he was sent to the U.S. House, serving in the 31st, 32nd, and 33rd Congresses (March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1855). During the 32nd Congress, Ashe chaired the Committee on Elections. He did not run again in 1854, but served as the president of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Company from 1854 until his death.

He was elected to one further term in the North Carolina Senate between 1859 and 1861. He was a delegate to the Charleston Democratic National Convention in 1860 and the North Carolina Constitutional Convention of 1861.

During the American Civil War, Ashe was a major in the Confederate Army, in charge of all transportation between Virginia and the rest of the South. Ashe was killed in a railroad accident near Wilmington, North Carolina on September 14, 1862. He is buried in a family cemetery in Pender County, North Carolina.

References
  1. Clifton, James. "Ashe, William Shepperd". State Library of North Carolina. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  2. Congressional Serial Set

Sources
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
James I. McKay		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 7th congressional district
1849–1853		 Succeeded by
Francis Burton Craige
Preceded by
Alfred Dockery		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 3rd congressional district
1853–1855		 Succeeded by
Warren Winslow
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