Samuel Chilton

Samuel Chilton
Born	September 7, 1804 Fauquier County, Virginia
Died	Warrenton, Virginia
Occupation	Politician, lawyer
Spouse(s)	Isabella R. Brooke (1832 - 1867, his death)
Children	5

Samuel Chilton (September 7, 1805 – January 7, 1867) was a 19th-century politician and lawyer from Virginia.

Biography

Born in Warrenton, Virginia, Chilton moved to Missouri with his family as a child and attended private school there. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1826, commencing practice back in Warrenton. He got involved in politics and was elected a Whig to the United States House of Representatives in 1842, when he narrowly defeated William "Extra Billy" Smith following a redistricting. Chilton served one term from 1843 to 1845, during which he advocated abolishing imprisonment for debt. Afterward, he returned to practicing law and was a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention from 1850 to 1851. At the convention, he proposed a key compromise on legislative apportionment.

Chilton moved to Washington, D.C., by 1853 and became a member of American Party, or Know-Nothings. In 1859 he was appointed as a defense attorney for abolitionist John Brown after his previous defense attorneys had advocated that the defendant advance a plea of insanity as his defense.

Chilton died in Warrenton on January 7, 1867 and was interred there at Warrenton Cemetery.

Sources

• John T. Kneebone et al., eds., Dictionary of Virginia Biography (Richmond: The Library of Virginia, 1998- ), 3:217-218. ISBN 0-88490-206-4.
• Death date in obituary, Warrenton True Index, 12, 19 Jan. 1867.
• "John Brown Trial: 1859 - Brown's Lawyers Search For A Defense," Law Library - American Law and Legal Information, http://law.jrank.org/pages/2558/John-Brown-Trial-1859-Brown-s-Lawyers-Search-Defense.html (accessed December 14, 2009).

External links

• Samuel Chilton at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Samuel Chilton at Encyclopedia Virginia
• Samuel Chilton at Find A Grave

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by William "Extra Billy" Smith	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 9th congressional district March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845	Succeeded by John Pendleton