John W. Daniel

John Warwick Daniel
United States Senator from Virginia
In office March 4, 1887 – June 29, 1910
Preceded by	William Mahone
Succeeded by	Claude A. Swanson
Chairman of the Committee on the Revision of the Laws
In office March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 6th district
In office March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1887
Preceded by	John R. Tucker
Succeeded by	Samuel I. Hopkins
Member of the Virginia Senate from Campbell County and the City of Lynchburg
In office 1880–1881
Preceded by	District established
Succeeded by	Singleton Diggs
Member of the Virginia Senate from Campbell County
In office 1876–1879
Preceded by	Thomas Kirkpatrick
Succeeded by	District abolished
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Campbell County
In office 1869–1871 Alongside Robert Burkholder and Rufus Murrell
Personal details
Born	September 5, 1842 Lynchburg, Virginia
Died	June 29, 1910 (aged 67) Lynchburg, Virginia
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Lynchburg College University of Virginia
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Service/branch	Confederate Army
Years of service	1861–1864
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	American Civil War *Gettysburg Campaign *Battle of the Wilderness

John Warwick Daniel (September 5, 1842 – June 29, 1910) was an American lawyer, author, and Democratic politician from Lynchburg, Virginia. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates and represented Virginia in both the U.S. House and then five terms in the Senate. Daniel was known as the Lame Lion of Lynchburg because he was seriously wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness while serving as a major in the Confederate Army.^[1]

Biography

John Marshall Warwick House plaque, Lynchburg VA, November 2008

John W. Daniel was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, and attended private schools, Lynchburg College, and Dr. Gessner Harrison’s University School. During the American Civil War, he served in the Confederate Army from 1861–64, attaining the rank of major. He was an important staff officer for Major General Jubal A. Early in several campaigns, including Gettysburg. Daniel was permanently disabled in the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864 and resigned his commission.

Daniel studied law at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville and was admitted to the bar in 1866. He established his practice at Lynchburg. Despite being crippled from his war injury, he entered politics and was a member of the House of Delegates from 1869–72. Daniel was elected to the state senate in 1876 and served until 1881, when he was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Virginia. In 1884, he was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-ninth Congress and served from March 4, 1885 – March 4, 1887.

Daniel was subsequently elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate. He was reelected in 1891, 1897, 1904, and 1910, and served from March 4, 1887, until his death.

During his tenure, he served as chairman, Committee on Revision of the Laws of the United States (Fifty-third Congress). He was also a member of several committees, including the Committee on Corporations Organized in the District of Columbia (Fifty-fifth Congress), the Committee on Public Health and National Quarantine (Sixtieth Congress), and the Committee on Private Land Claims (Sixty-first Congress).

Daniel staunchly supported an American intervention into Cuba during the 1890s and often spoke at length on Spanish cruelties.

Always interested in veterans affairs, Senator Daniel was heavily involved in the initial planning of the Virginia Memorial on the Gettysburg Battlefield.

Daniel was a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901.

Daniel died in Lynchburg and was buried there in the Spring Hill Cemetery. A large bronze statue of him is near the intersection of Park Avenue and 9th Street in Lynchburg. His father's home, Point of Honor, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and is currently operated as a house museum by the City of Lynchburg. His birthplace, the John Marshall Warwick House, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Bibliography

• The Character of Stonewall Jackson (1868, originally a lecture)
• The Law and Practice of Attachment, under the Code of Virginia (1869)
• A Treatise on the Law of Negotiable Instruments (1876, published in two volumes)

References

1. Bland Whitley, William. "John Warwick Daniel (1842–1910)". Encyclopedia Virginia/Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Retrieved 15 June 2015.

United States Congress. "DANIEL, John Warwick (id: D000035)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2009-04-21

External links

• Bibliography of Daniel articles and books
• Virginia wayside marker at Daniel's birthplace in Lynchburg
• Statue of Senator Daniel in Lynchburg