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John Brown Baldwin

Member From: 1865 - 1867

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  • Birth Date: January 11, 1820 Birth Place:Staunton
  • Death Date: September 30, 1873
  • Gender: Male Race: Caucasian
  • Spouse: Susan Madison Peyton
  • Children: No children
  • Religion:
  • Education: University of Virginia (1836-1839)
  • Military Service: Confederate Army, COL with 52nd Virginia Infantry
    COL, Augusta County militia
  • Occupation/Profession: Attorney
  • Memberships/Affiliations: UVA Board of Visitors (1856-1864)
  • Additional Info Links: http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Baldwin_John_Brown_1820-1873
  • Additional Info: Baldwin was born on January 11, 1820, in Augusta County, the eldest of three sons and third of six children of Briscoe Gerard Baldwin and Martha Steele Brown Baldwin. His father was one of the leaders of the bar in the Shenadoah Valley and was elected to the Virginia Court of Appeals in 1842.
  • Bio: Born at “Spring Farm”, Augusta County, Va., January 11, 1820 Died in Staunton, Va., September 30, 873. Buried in Thornrose Cemetery, Staunton, Va. John B. Baldwin of Augusta County was the son of Briscoe Gerard and Martha A. Steele (Brown) Baldwin. His father was a judge of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia, and his grandfather was judge John Brown, Chancellor of the Staunton District. He was educated at Staunton Academy and the University of Virginia. He studied law under his father before being admitted to the bar. He was a member of the House of Delegates, 1845-46, 1865-66, 1866-69. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1861; Inspector-General of the State Volunteers, later Colonel of the 52nd Regiment. He served in the Confederate House of Representatives, 1862-65, and was one of the committee sent by the Secession Convention to confer with President Abraham Lincoln in the hope of averting hostilities. Baldwin, a staunch Unionist, who had voted against secession, was selected one of the “committee of nine” who presented to Congress and President- elect Ulysses Grant the plan that permitted Virginia to avoid extended Reconstruction and regain home rule. As Speaker of the House of Delegates,he developed Baldwin’s Rules under which the General Assembly is conducted. He married, September 20, 1842, Susan Madison Peyton, daughter of John Howe Peyton, a distinguished lawyer, and his second wife, Anne Montgomery (Lewis) Peyton, of Old Sweet Springs, now in West Virginia.

    While he was Speaker of the House, the Clerk was JOHN BELL BIGGER.
  • Other Notable Service and/or Elected Offices: Confederate House of Representatives (1861-1865)
    Member, Virginia Convention of 1861
    Speaker of the House of Delegates (1865-1867)
Session District District Number Party Leadership Committees
1865-1867 Augusta County Conservative Speaker of the House Rules (Chair)

*The information within this interactive and searchable application has been researched extensively by the House Clerk’s Office. As with any historical records of this age and breadth, there may be discrepancies and/or inconsistencies within records obtained from a variety of credible sources. Any feedback is encouraged at history@house.virginia.gov.

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