James Broadhead

James Overton Broadhead (May 29 1819 - August 7 1898) was an American lawyer and political figure. He was a member of the House of Representatives and of the Missouri senate, he was also the first president of the American Bar Association. [Ross, Kirby "James O. Broadhead: Ardent Unionist, Unrepentant Slaveholder", 2002. Retrieved from [http://www.civilwarstlouis.com/History/ProvostMarshals.htm here] on March 23 2007]

Broadhead was born in Charlottesville, Virginia and studied law at St. Louis, Missouri after a one year stay in the University of Virginia. Having received his licence, Broadhead began a private practice in 1842 at Bowling Green, Missouri. ["West's Encyclopedia of American Law", 1998, retrieved from [http://www.answers.com/topic/james-overton-broadhead here] on March 23 2007] Joining the Missouri Constitutional Convention in 1845, it a year later that he participated in the Missouri House of Representatives. From 1850 until 1853 he also served in the Missouri Senate before returning to private practice as a partner in a law firm back in St Louis. ["West's Encyclopedia of American Law", 1998, retrieved from [http://www.answers.com/topic/james-overton-broadhead here] on March 23 2007]

He formed the Committee of Safety to oppose the growing southern factions in the lead up to the American Civil War and was a member of the Missouri Constitutional Convention that declared Missouri's loyalty to the Union in 1861. Attending the Missouri State Constitutional Convention in 1875, Broadhead worked closely on the Whisky Ring bribery cases in 1876. Broadhead was commissioned as a lieutenant-colonel in the 3rd Missouri cavalry and assigned to General Schofield, and was also served as an advisor for the preliminary constitution which dictated the government of Missouri during the Civil War. [Ross, Kirby "James O. Broadhead: Ardent Unionist, Unrepentant Slaveholder", 2002. Retrieved from [http://www.civilwarstlouis.com/History/ProvostMarshals.htm here] on March 23 2007] In 1878 he was chosen as the president of the new American Bar Association. [Johnson, Rossiter, "Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, - Vol. I-X (10)" Boston, MA: The Biographical Society, 1904. Retrieved from [http://www.civilwarstlouis.com/History/ProvostMarshals.htm here] on March 23 2007] Between 1882 and 1885 Broadhead represented Missouri in the House of Representatives as a Democrat, as well as being a member of the Judiciary Committee, as special commissioner to France and later minister to Switzerland ["West's Encyclopedia of American Law", 1998, retrieved from [http://www.answers.com/topic/james-overton-broadhead here] on March 23 2007] in 1885 and 1893 until 1897. [Johnson, Rossiter, "Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, - Vol. I-X (10)" Boston, MA: The Biographical Society, 1904. Retrieved from [http://www.civilwarstlouis.com/History/ProvostMarshals.htm here] on March 23 2007] . Returning to private practice, Broadhead returned to St Louis, where he died in 1898.

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