Solomon W. Downs

Who was Solomon W. Downs?

Solomon Weathersbee Downs was a United States Senator from Louisiana. Born in Montgomery County, Tennessee, he pursued classical studies and graduated from the Transylvania University in 1823. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1826 and commenced practice in Bayou Sara, Louisiana. He moved to Ouachita, Louisiana and then to New Orleans in 1845, where he engaged in the practice of law and was a successful planter.

Downs was United States Attorney for the district of Louisiana from 1845 to 1847 and a member of the State constitutional convention. He was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1847, to March 4, 1853; while in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Engrossed Bills and a member of the Committee on Private Land Claims. He was appointed by President Franklin Pierce as collector of the port of New Orleans in 1853. He died in Lincoln County, Kentucky and was buried on his family plantation