Richard W. Habersham

Richard Wylly Habersham (* December 1786 in Savannah, Georgia, † December 2, 1842 in Clarkesville, Georgia ) was an American politician. Between 1839 and 1842 he represented the state of Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

Richard Habersham was a nephew of John Habersham (1754-1799) and Joseph Habersham (1751-1815), who both participated as delegates at the Continental Congress. He attended private schools and then studied until 1810 at the Princeton College. After a subsequent study of law and qualifying as a lawyer in Savannah, he began to work in his new profession. He was then to 1825 Federal prosecutor. Short term officiated Habersham as Attorney General of the State of Georgia. In 1835 he moved to Clarkesville in named after his uncle Joseph Habersham County. Politically, he was a member of the Whig party.

In the state- wide held congressional elections of 1838 Habersham was for the sixth parliamentary mandate of Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington DC chosen, where he became the successor of Hopkins Holsey on March 4, 1839. After a re-election, he could remain until his death on December 2, 1842 in Congress. Since 1841 the work of the Congress was overshadowed by the confrontations between the Whigs and the new U.S. president John Tyler. At that time it was also discussed on the possible annexation since 1836 the independent Republic of Mexico Texas.

Following a special election Habershams mandate fell to his party colleague George W. Crawford.