William Tecumsah Avery

Democrat Representative of Tennessee's 10th district

Congresses Served

House Terms

November 11, 1819 (60 years old)

Birthday

May 22, 1880

Death

Was a slave owner and a politician.
Served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee.
Also served as a Confederate Army officer.
Born in Hardeman County, Tennessee.
Graduated from Jackson College.
Practiced law after moving to Memphis, Tennessee.
Married with three children.
Served in the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1843.
Elected to the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Congress, serving from 1857 to 1861.
Did not seek renomination in 1860.
Served as a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
Was a clerk of the criminal court of Shelby County from 1870 to 1874.
Resumed practicing law in Memphis after his court clerkship.
Died from accidental drowning at age 60.