William C. Houston

William Cannon Houston
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 5th district
In office March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1919
Preceded by	James D. Richardson
Succeeded by	Ewin L. Davis
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
In office 1877-1879 1881-1885
Personal details
Born	March 17, 1852 (1852-03-17) Shelbyville, Tennessee
Died	August 30, 1931 (1931-08-31) (aged 79) Cannon County, Tennessee
Citizenship	United States
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Lizzie Minor McLemore Houston
Profession	planter newspaper publisher Attorney politician judge

William Cannon Houston (March 17, 1852 – August 30, 1931) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 5th congressional district of Tennessee.

Biography

Born in Shelbyville, Tennessee in Bedford County, Houston moved with his mother to Woodbury, Tennessee in Cannon County in 1858. He attended the schools of Woodbury and Sweetwater, Tennessee. He engaged in agricultural pursuits and later in the publication of a newspaper.

Career

Houston was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1877 to 1879 and from 1881 to 1885. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1878, and commenced practice in Woodbury, Tennessee. He was a member of the Democratic state executive committee in 1888. He was chairman of the Democratic state convention in 1888. He was elected judge of the eighth judicial circuit in 1894, was re-elected in 1902, and served until he was elected to Congress.^[1]

Elected as a Democratic to the Fifty-ninth and the six succeeding Congresses, Houston served from March 4, 1905 to March 3, 1919,^[2] and was not a candidate for renomination in 1918. He was the chairman of the United States House Committee on the Census during the Sixty-second Congress and chairman of the United States House Committee on Territories during the Sixty-third through Sixty-fifth Congresses. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1920.^[3]

Death and legacy

Houston died on his Beaver Dam Plantation near Woodbury, Tennessee on August 30, 1931. He is interred at Riverside Cemetery near Woodbury, Tennessee.^[4] His son, Frank K. Houston, became a banking executive.

References

External links

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 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.

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