James M. Elam

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James M. Elam was a Whig politician in the 1840s from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

James Mason Elam (1796 - 1856) was a veteran of the

Barbary Pirates. He was an unsuccessful Whig candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Louisiana
in 1843.

Early life and military service

Elam was born in Nottoway County, Virginia on January 30, 1796, the son of Essex Elam and Lavinia Crowder. He enlisted in the army and served during the War of 1812, but saw no combat. He later served as Ensign aboard the U.S.S. Guerriere under the command of Captain Stephen Decatur, he was part of the crew that went on in 1815 to attack the Barbary Pirates off the coast of Algeria.

Career

In 1820, Elam moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and became a lawyer. That year he married Rebecca Chambers. He engaged in a vigorous law practice and was politically active.

He ran unsuccessfully as a Whig for the United States House of Representatives in the

Mayor of Baton Rouge
, Louisiana.

Death and burial

James M. Elam died on November 7, 1856, and was buried in the family plot in the Magnolia Cemetery in Baton Rouge.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Elections". New Orleans Times-Picayune. July 11, 1843. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  2. ^ "Burials in East Baton Rouge Parish". Political Graveyard. Retrieved July 26, 2012.