William L. Goggin

William Leftwich Goggin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 5th district
In office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849
Preceded by	Shelton Leake
Succeeded by	Paulus Powell
In office May 10, 1844 – March 3, 1845
Preceded by	Thomas Walker Gilmer
Succeeded by	Shelton Leake
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 7th district
In office March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843
Preceded by	Archibald Stuart
Succeeded by	Henry A. Wise
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Bedford County
In office 1836-1837
Preceded by	Edmund Pate
Succeeded by	Thomas P. Mitchell
Personal details
Born	May 31, 1807 Bunker Hill, Virginia
Died	January 3, 1870(1870-01-03) (aged 62) Liberty, Virginia
Resting place	Goggin Cemetery, Bunker Hill, West Virginia
Political party	Whig
Spouse(s)	Mary C. Goggin Elizabeth C. Goddin
Alma mater	Winchester Law School
Profession	lawyer, politician
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Branch/service	Confederate Home Guard
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	American Civil War

William Leftwich Goggin (May 31, 1807 – January 3, 1870) was a nineteenth-century Whig politician and lawyer from Virginia.

Early and family life

Born near Bunker Hill in southern Bedford County, Virginia, to Mary Otey Leftwich (1789-1854) and her husband, Pleasant Moorman Goggin (1777-1831), Goggin was descended from prominent families in the area, though only one sister (the future Sarah Steptoe) lived long enough to marry. His younger brother Stephen died in 1844 and his sisters Julia and Lucinda barely survived their father. He received a private education suitable to his class, including at the Pisgah Meeting House, then attended the Winchester Law School in Frederick County, Virginia.^[1] In May 1830, Goggin married Mary Cook (1813-1835), though their daughter Sarah survived her mother.^[2] In November, 1840 Goggin remarried in nearby Franklin County, to Elizabeth Cook, who survived him. Although several of their children died as infants,^[3] Betty (1845-1868), William L. Goggin Jr. (1848-1861) and Samuel Cook Goggin (1850-1928) reached adulthood. The last followed his father's path into law and politics, including a term in the Virginia Senate and also served as clerk of the Bedford County court until his death.

Career

After admission to the Virginia bar in 1828, Goggin moved to Liberty, Virginia, the county seat of Bedford County, Virginia, and began his legal practice. He also farmed using enslaved labor. Liberty was incorporated in 1839, with James F. Johnson, William M. Burwell, John Goode Jr., and Goggin as its leading orators and politicians (and would be renamed "Bedford" after the Civil War).^[4] In the 1850 federal census, Goggin characterized himself as a "farmer" and owned 18 enslaved persons.^[5] He owned 30 enslaved persons in 1860.^[6]

Bedford County voters elected Goggin as one of their representatives (part-time) in the

Afterward, he received a pardon from President Johnson on September 16, 1865, and continued practicing law until his death on January 3, 1870, near Liberty, Virginia. He was interred in his family's burying ground, Goggin Cemetery, near Bunker Hill, West Virginia.

Electoral history

• 1839; Goggin was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 52.64% of the vote, defeating Democrat Archibald Stuart, Jr.
• 1841; Goggin was re-elected with 56.54% of the vote, defeating Democrat Stuart.
• 1843; Goggin lost his re-election bid when he was not renominated.
• 1844; Goggin was re-elected with 50.75% of the vote, defeating Democrat William Fitzhugh Gordon.
• 1845; Goggin lost his re-election bid when he was not renominated.
• 1847; Goggin was re-elected with 50.93% of the vote, defeating Democrat Shelton Farrar Leake.
• 1849; Goggin lost his bid for re-election.

References

External links

• United States Congress. "William L. Goggin (id: G000256)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-10-19
• William L. Goggin at The Political Graveyard