William Lucas (politician)

William Lucas ( * November 30, 1800 in Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, Virginia; † August 29, 1877 in Jefferson County, West Virginia ) was an American politician. Between 1839 and 1845 he represented two times the state of Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

Born in what is now West Virginia William Lucas was the younger brother of Congressman Edward Lucas ( 1780-1858 ). He attended the common schools. After a subsequent law studies at the Tucker Law School in Winchester and his 1825 was admitted to the bar he began in Shepherdstown to work in this profession. In 1830 he moved his residence and his law firm to Charlestown. He was also active in agriculture and especially in the field of horticulture in his new home. At the same time he proposed as a member of the Democratic Party launched a political career. In 1838 and 1839 he sat in the House of Virginia.

In the congressional elections of 1838, Lucas was in the 15th electoral district of Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington DC chosen, where he took up his new mandate on March 4, 1839. Since he has not been confirmed in 1840, he was initially able to do only one term in Congress until March 3, 1841. In the 1842 elections Lucas was elected to Congress again in the tenth district of his state, where he replaced John Taliaferro on March 4, 1843. Until March 3, 1845, he could spend another term in Congress. This period was characterized by the tensions between President John Tyler and the Whigs. It was also at that time already been discussed about a possible annexation of the independent Republic of Texas since 1836 by Mexico.

In 1844, William Lucas was not nominated for re-election. After the end of his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, he practiced as a lawyer again and was active in gardening. In the years 1850 and 1851 he was a delegate at a meeting on the revision of the Constitution of Virginia. He died on August 29, 1877 at his estate Rion Hall in Jefferson County.