Henry Persons

Henry Persons
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 4th district
In office March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881
Preceded by	Henry R. Harris
Succeeded by	Hugh Buchanan
Personal details
Born	(1834-01-30)January 30, 1834 Smarrs, Georgia, U.S.
Died	June 17, 1910(1910-06-17) (aged 76) Talbotton, Georgia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Military service
Commands	Third Georgia regiment of the Confederate States Army
Battles/wars	American Civil War

Joseph "Henry" Persons (January 30, 1834 – June 17, 1910) was an American politician, lawyer and soldier.

Early life

Persons was born near Smarrs, Georgia, in Monroe County; however, his family moved to Talbot County, Georgia in 1836. He attended the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1855.

Civil War

During the American Civil War, Persons served as a cavalry captain in the Third Georgia regiment of the Confederate States Army.

Postbellum

After the war, he was elected as a Representative to the 46th United States Congress as an Independent Democrat. Persons lost his bid for re-election in 1880 and returned to Geneva, Georgia. He studied law, gained admittance to the state bar in 1885 and began practicing law in Talbotton, Georgia.

After his political service, Persons served as a UGA trustee from 1894 until 1910. He died that year in Talbotton and was buried in that city's Rose Hill Cemetery.

References

• United States Congress. "Henry Persons (id: P000248)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2009-04-16
• History of the University of Georgia, Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca. 1949, p.588