Edward Sparrow (December 29, 1810 – July 4, 1882) was an American politician who served as a Confederate States Senator from Louisiana from 1862 to 1865.

Edward Sparrow
Confederate States Senator
from Louisiana
In office
February 18, 1862 – March 18, 1865
Preceded byNew constituency
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Deputy from Louisiana
to the Provisional Congress
of the Confederate States
In office
February 4, 1861 – February 17, 1862
Preceded byNew constituency
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born(1810-12-29)December 29, 1810
Dublin, Ireland
DiedJuly 4, 1882(1882-07-04) (aged 71)
Lake Providence, Louisiana
Resting placeArlington Plantation,
Lake Providence, Louisiana
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materKenyon College

Biography

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Sparrow was born in Dublin, Ireland. He represented Louisiana in the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1862. He was a Senator from Louisiana in both the First and the Second Confederate States congresses, serving from 1862 to 1865. He was one of just eight men to be members of the Confederate Congress from its beginning to its end. For the entire war he was chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs.[1]

He was the wealthiest man in the Confederate Government and one of the wealthiest in the entire South. The 1860 Census cites his wealth at $1.2 million, which would be comparable to being a billionaire today. In the 1860 census he is listed as having four land holdings, one in Concordia Parish, Louisiana and three in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, including the Arlington Plantation in Lake Providence, Louisiana. Even in 1880, after the war, East Carroll Parish was the most productive cotton-growing parish or county in the nation. He owned the Arlington Plantation from the 1850s until his death, and is buried in the family cemetery there.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b East Carroll Parish Historical Society in cooperation with Louisiana Division of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (April 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation: Historic Resources of Lake Providence". National Park Service. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  2. ^ "Lake Providence Multiple Resource Area" (PDF). State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. 1980. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2017. with four photos and two maps Archived February 1, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
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