William Wiseham PAINE, Congress, GA (1817-1882)

PAINE William Wiseham , a Representative from Georgia; born in Richmond, Va., on October 10, 1817; moved with his parents to Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Ga., in 1827; attended school in Mount Zion, Ga.; served in the Seminole Indian War in 1836; studied law in Washington, Wilkes County, Ga., and was admitted to the bar in 1838; moved to Telfair, Ga., in 1840 and commenced the practice of law; member of the State constitutional convention in 1850; served as private secretary to Gov. Howell Cobb in 1851 and 1852; served in the State senate 1857-1860; entered the Confederate Army and served as captain in the First Georgia Regiment throughout the Civil War; moved to Savannah, Ga., at the close of the Civil War and continued the practice of law; elected as a Democrat to the Forty-first Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the House declaring Joseph W. Clift not entitled to the seat, and served from December 22, 1870, to March 3, 1871; member of the State house of representatives 1877-1879; curator of the Georgia Historical Society; died in Savannah, Ga., August 5, 1882; interment in Bonaventure Cemetery.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present