John PERKINS, Jr., Congress, LA (1819-1885)

PERKINS, John, Jr., a Representative from Louisiana; born in Natchez, Miss., July 1, 1819; received his early education from private tutors; was graduated from Yale College in 1840 and from the law department of Harvard University in 1842; was admitted to the bar in 1843 and commenced practice in New Orleans, La.; engaged in cotton planting; appointed judge of the circuit court for the district comprising Tensas and Madison Parishes in 1851; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress (March 4, 1853-March 3, 1855); was not a candidate for renomination in 1854; chairman of the State secession convention in 1861; served in the Confederate Senate 1862-1865; traveled extensively in Mexico and Europe; returned to the United States in 1878 and spent the remaining years of his life in Louisiana and Canada; died in Baltimore, Md., November 28, 1885; interment in Natchez Cemetery, Natchez, Miss.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present