William Barton Wade Dent (September 8, 1806 – September 7, 1855) was an American politician, educator, soldier and businessman from Georgia. He represented Georgia in the U.S. Congress for one term from 1853 to 1855.

William B.W. Dent
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 4th district
In office
March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855
Preceded byCharles Murphey
Succeeded byHiram B. Warner
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
In office
1843
Personal details
Born
William Barton Wade Dent

(1806-09-08)September 8, 1806
Bryantown, Maryland, U.S.
DiedSeptember 7, 1855(1855-09-07) (aged 48)
Newnan, Georgia, U.S.
Resting placeOak Hill Cemetery
Newnan, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic

Early life

edit

Dent was born in Bryantown, Maryland, in 1806 and attended Charlotte Hall Military Academy in Charlotte Hall, Maryland. He graduated from Charlotte Hall Military Academy in 1823 and moved the next year to Mallorysville in Wilkes County, Georgia, and taught school.

Career

edit

In 1827, Dent pursued mercantile interests in [ Bullsboro, Georgia. He was also a key founding member of the city of Newnan, Georgia, in 1828. Dent pursued farming and milling in Coweta, Carroll and Heard Counties. He also did business in land holdings in Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas. Dent also served as a colonel in the Georgia Militia during the Creek War.

In 1843, Dent served in the Georgia House of Representatives. He returned to Newnan in 1849 and presided as judge of the inferior court of Coweta County.

Congress

edit

In 1852, he was elected as a Democratic Representative of Georgia's 4th congressional district to the 33rd United States Congress and served one term from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855.

He did not run for reelection to the 34th Congress in 1854.

Personal life

edit

Dent was married to Sarah Elizabeth Hinton.

In the 1850 U.S. Census, Dent was listed as having land holdings valued at $50,000 (~$1.42 million in 2023).[1]

Dent died in Newnan on September 7, 1855, and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Newnan, Georgia.

References

edit
  1. ^ "1850 United States Federal Census, Georgia, Coweta, Division 19". Retrieved 2020-08-08.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 4th congressional district

March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855
Succeeded by