William Henry Sneed

William Henry Sneed
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Tennessee's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857
Preceded byWilliam Churchwell
Succeeded byHorace Maynard
Personal details
Born(1812-08-27)August 27, 1812
Davidson County, Tennessee, US
DiedSeptember 18, 1869(1869-09-18) (aged 57)
Knoxville, Tennessee, US
Political partyWhig Party
American Party
Democratic Party
SpouseEliza Williams[1]
ChildrenJoseph Sneed
Thomas Sneed
Kate Sneed (Jones)
Fannie Sneed (Eldridge)[2]
RelativesJoseph P. Sneed (first cousin)[3]
ProfessionAttorney, Politician

William Henry Sneed (August 27, 1812 – September 18, 1869) was an American attorney and politician, active initially in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and later in Knoxville, Tennessee, during the mid-19th century. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district during the Thirty-fourth Congress (1855–1857).[1] In the months leading up to the Civil War, he became a leader of Knoxville's secessionist movement.[4] Along with his successful career as an attorney, Sneed was involved in several business ventures, most notably the Lamar House Hotel, which he purchased in 1856.[5]

  1. ^ a b East Tennessee Historical Society, Mary Rothrock (ed.), The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1972), pp. 141, 487-488, 496.
  2. ^ William T. Hale, A History of Tennessee and Tennesseans (Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1913), p. 1380.
  3. ^ https://www.politicalfamilytree.com/samples%20content/members/candidates_2009-10/Sneed-CA-1.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ Robert McKenzie, Lincolnites and Rebels: A Divided Town in the American Civil War (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), pp. 55-60, 198-199, 208, 220.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference novelli was invoked but never defined (see the help page).