Augustus Emmet Maxwell
| Augustus Emmet Maxwell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 21, 1820 Elberton, Georgia |
| Died | May 5, 1903 Chipley, Florida |
| Occupation | Attorney, politician, judge |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Spouse | Sarah Brockenbrough Julia H. Anderson |
| Parents | Simeon Maxwell |
| Children | Lucy Maxwell Meade Elizabeth Maxwell Wilson Simeon Maxwell II Two daughters, died in infancy Evelyn C. Maxwell John E. Maxwell |
Augustus Emmet Maxwell was an attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a congressman and Confederate senator, and held several positions in the Florida state government. Maxwell Street is named for him.
Maxwell was born in Elberton, Elbert County, Georgia, in 1820. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1841 and was admitted to the bar in Alabama in 1843. Maxwell practised law in Eutaw, Alabama for two years before moving to Tallahassee, Florida in 1845. Maxwell married Julia Anderson in (date needed); the two had a son, Evelyn, born in Evergreen, Alabama in 1863.
Pre-Civil War career
Maxwell became Attorney General of the State of Florida in 1846 and held that position through 1847 when he became a state representative. Maxwell served as Florida Secretary of State in 1848, and as a state senator in 1849 and 1850. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Florida in 1852, taking office in 1853 and serving in that capacity through 1857. From 1857 through 1861, Maxwell served as the United States Navy agent at Pensacola, moving to Pensacola after the death of his father-in-law, Walker Anderson, who held the same office.
During and after the war
After the outbreak of the Civil War, Maxwell served as a Senator from Florida in the Confederate Congress, serving both the First and Second Congresses from 1862 through the end of the war in 1865. After the end of the war, Maxwell served as a justice on the Florida Supreme Court in 1865 and 1866, as a circuit court judge from 1877 to 1885, and again as a State Supreme Court justice from 1887 to 1891.
Elections
In his election for the United States House of Representatives in 1852, Maxwell secured about 50.12% of the vote. In his bid for reelection two years later he received 55.26% of votes cast.[1]
Other images
An older Maxwell, circa 1900
