Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett
Born:July 25, 1821
Birthplace: Elmwood Plantation near Loretto, Virginia
Father: James Mercer Garnett Jr. 1794 – 1824
(Buried: Garnett Family Burial Ground at Elmwood, Loretto, Virginia)
Mother: Maria Hunter 1797 – 1873
(Buried: Garnett Family Burial Ground at Elmwood, Loretto, Virginia)
Wife: Mary Picton Stevens 1840 – 1903
(Buried: Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, New Jersey)
Children:
Mary Barton Garnett Mitchell 1863 – 1949
(Buried: Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, New Jersey)
Grandfather: US Congressman James Mercer Garnett 1770 – 1843
(Buried: Garnett Family Burial Ground at Elmwood, Loretto, Virginia)
Uncle: CS Secretary of State Robert M. T. Hunter 1809 – 1887
(Buried: Garnett Family Burial Ground at Elmwood, Loretto, Virginia)
Political Party: Democratic Party
Education:
1839: Graduated from University of Virginia
1842: Graduated from University of Virginia Law School
Occupation before War:
1842 – 1856: Attorney in Loretto, Virginia
1850 – 1851: Delegate to Virginia State Constitutional Convention
1850: Publisher of The Union, Past and Future
1852: Virginia Delegate to Democratic Party National Convention
1853 – 1856: Member of Virginia State House of Delegates
1855 – 1859: Member of Board of Visitors for University of Virginia
1856: Virginia Delegate to Democratic Party National Convention
1856: Elected to U.S. Congress to fill vacancy of Thomas H. Bayly
1856 – 1861: United States Congressman from Virginia
1856 – 1857: Member of House Revolutionary Claims Committee
1857 – 1859: Member of House Claims Committee
1857 – 1859: Member of House Public Lands Committee
1859 – 1861: Member of House District of Columbia Committee
Civil War Career:
1861: Member of Virginia State Secession Convention
1862 – 1864: Confederate States Congressman from Virginia
1862: Member of House Ways and Means Committee
He accepted a moderate tax program before Congress
Opposed higher taxes and broader tax base
Tried to seek a ruling that taxes on land, slaves and property were direct and must be apportioned among states on basis of population
Advocate for low tariffs and voted for free trade and against prohibiting import of luxuries
He urged retroactive pay for property impressed
Sanctioned conscription but wished to retain the long exemption list
Endorsed President Davis’s dictation of foreign affairs
Supported the War Department’s judgment in army matters.
1863: Unsuccessful Candidate for reelection to Congress
1863 – 1864: Suffered from the effects of Typhoid Fever
Died: February 14, 1864
Place of Death: Elmwood Plantation, Loretto, Virginia
Cause of Death: Typhoid Fever
Age at time of Death: 42 years old
Burial Place: Garnett Family Burial Ground at Elmwood, Loretto, Virginia
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