John Minor Botts

Whig Representative of Virginia's 6th district

Representative
Virginia, district 11
December 2, 1839 - March 3, 1841
Representative
Virginia, district 11
May 31, 1841 - March 3, 1843
Representative
Virginia, district 6
December 6, 1847 - March 3, 1849

Congresses Served

House Terms

September 16, 1802 (66 years old)

Birthday

January 8, 1869

Death

Nineteenth-century politician, planter, and lawyer
Prominent Unionist in Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War
Orphaned at a young age due to parents’ death in the Richmond Theatre fire
Attended common schools and studied law
Married with several children
Practiced progressive agricultural methods and used slave labor on his plantation
Initially lost but then won a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates through court challenges
Served multiple terms in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Whig, opposing the extension of slavery into territories and the Democrats’ “gag rule” on antislavery petitions
Advocated for a national bank and opposed the annexation of Texas
Chaired the Committee on Military Affairs, supporting the Army during his term
Played a significant role in the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850-1851, advocating for reforms including the abolition of the death penalty and the extension of the franchise
Ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Know Nothing Party candidate and opposed the admission of Kansas as a slave state
Attempted to unite the Know Nothing Party with the Republican Party and supported the Constitutional Union Party in the 1860 presidential election
Remained a Unionist during the Civil War, refusing to fight against Virginia but was jailed by the Confederacy for his Unionist positions
After the war, declined an election to the U.S. Senate by the rump general assembly and opposed universal manhood suffrage at the Southern Loyalists’ Convention
Published memoirs titled “The Great Rebellion: Its Secret History, Rise, Progress, and Disastrous Failure”
Died in Culpeper, Virginia