William M. Churchwell
William Montgomery Churchwell (February 20, 1826 – August 18, 1862) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician from Tennessee who later served as a Confederate Army officer.
He was born near Knoxville, Tennessee, in Knox County. He went to private schools and attended Emory and Henry College in Emory, Virginia, from 1840 to 1843. He studied law, began practicing in Knoxville, and married Martha Eleanor Deery Churchwell. He also served as a judge for Knox County.
Churchwell was a Democrat who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented Tennessee’s 3rd district from 1851 to 1853 and then the 2nd district from 1853 to 1855. During his time in Congress, he chaired the Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary War Claims. He later worked as a provost marshal for East Tennessee and was sent on a secret mission to Mexico during President Buchanan’s administration.
When the Civil War began, Churchwell joined the Confederate States Army and became a colonel of the 34th Tennessee Infantry. He died in Knoxville on August 18, 1862, at age 36 and was buried at Old Gray Cemetery.
As a note on history, he was the last Democrat to represent the Knoxville area in Congress (as of 2025) and the most recent Democrat to represent Tennessee’s 2nd District (as of 2024).
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:15 (CET).