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William J. Alston
Other Name:
William Jeffreys Alston
Gender:
Male
Born:
December 31, 1800
Died:
June 10, 1876
Home Town:
Elbert County, GA
Later Residences:
Abbeville District, SC
Linden, AL
Linden, AL
Marriage(s):
Martha Cade Alston (1824)
Harriet Harwell Alston (1847)
Mary Lowery Alston (unknown)
Caroline Cheney Alston (unknown)
Harriet Harwell Alston (1847)
Mary Lowery Alston (unknown)
Caroline Cheney Alston (unknown)
Biographical Notes:
William Jeffreys Alston was the son of Nathaniel Alston and Mary Jeffreys Alston. He began his education with Dr. Moses Waddell in South Carolina before his family moved to Marengo County, Alabama. Alston attended the Litchfield Law School in 1824, and after completing his studies established a law practice in Linden, Alabama. His extensive political career included service in the Alabama State House of Representatives from 1836 to 1837, in 1843, and again from 1855 to 1857. Alston was also a member of the Alabama State Senate from 1839 to 1842, and then a member of the U.S. Congress from 1849 to 1851. Alston married four times. His first marriage was to Martha Cade in 1824, They had seven children together. He then married Harriet Harwell in 1847, with whom he had one son. His third marriage ...
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Additional Notes:
A copy of his speech entitled "The Slavery Questions" was published. It was delivered to the House of Representatives on April 18, 1850 and published that same year.
Education
Years at LLS:
1824
Other Education:
Studied with Dr. Moses Waddell while in South Carolina.
Profession / Service
Profession:
Lawyer; Political Office
Political Party:
Whig
Federal Posts:
U.S. Representative (AL) 1849-1851
State Posts:
State Representative (AL) 1837, 1855
State Senator (AL) 1839-1842
State Senator (AL) 1839-1842
Local Posts:
Judge of the County Court (Marengo County, AL)
Immediate Family (Why only immediate family?)
The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation. Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.
CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:
Catalogue of the Litchfield Law School (Hartford, CT: Press of Case, Tiffany and Company, 1848), 20.
Secondary Sources:
Lanman, Charles. Biographical Annals of the Civil Government of the United States During its first century: From Original and Official Sources. Washington, D.C.: James Anglim, 1876;
Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1971. The Continental Congress (September 5, 1774 to October 21, 1788) and the Congress of the United States (from the first through the ninety-first Congress March 4, 1789 to January 3, 1971). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971;
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1989. The Continental Congress, September 5, 1774 to October 21, 1788 and the Congress of the United States from the first through the one hundredth Congresses, March 4, 1789 to January 3, 1989 Bicentennial Edition....
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Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1971. The Continental Congress (September 5, 1774 to October 21, 1788) and the Congress of the United States (from the first through the ninety-first Congress March 4, 1789 to January 3, 1971). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971;
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1989. The Continental Congress, September 5, 1774 to October 21, 1788 and the Congress of the United States from the first through the one hundredth Congresses, March 4, 1789 to January 3, 1989 Bicentennial Edition....
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