William Simpson Oldham, Sr.

William Oldham
Confederate States Senator
from Texas
In office
February 18, 1862  May 10, 1865
Preceded by Constituency established
Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born July 19, 1813
Franklin County, Tennessee, US
Died May 8, 1868 (aged 54)
Houston, Texas, US
Political party Democratic

William Simpson Oldham, Sr. (July 19, 1813 May 8, 1868) was a politician in the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.[1]

Early life

William Simpson Oldham, Sr.,was born on July 19, 1813 in Franklin County, Tennessee.

Career

He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1838 and was later a Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1842.

He represented Texas in the Provisional Confederate Congress from 1861 to 1862, and was a senator in the First Confederate Congress and Second Confederate Congress from 1862 to 1865.

Death

He died on May 8, 1868.

Legacy

Oldham County, Texas was named in his honor.

In Harry Turtledove's 1994 alternative history novel, Guns of the South, a "Congressman Oldham" from Texas is mentioned as sponsoring a bill to re-enslave freedmen in a victorious Confederacy. Since the setting was the time of the 2nd Confederate Congress, it is likely that Turtledove was referring to Senator Oldham.

Notes

Confederate States Senate
New constituency Confederate States Senator (Class 3) from Texas
1862–1865
Served alongside: Louis Wigfall
Constituency abolished