Representative Harry Cage

Henry Cage (April 5, 1795 – December 31, 1858) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Mississippi from 1833 to 1835. Known in contemporary records as Harry Cage, he was a member of the Jackson Party, or Jacksonian faction, and participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American political history, representing the interests of his Mississippi constituents in the Twenty-third Congress.

Cage was born at Cages Bend of the Cumberland River in Sumner County, Tennessee, on April 5, 1795. In his early youth he moved with his family to Wilkinson County, Mississippi, a frontier region that was then developing rapidly as part of the expanding American Southwest. Growing up in this environment, he became associated with a network of prominent local families who would later play important roles in Mississippi’s political and economic life.

After settling in Mississippi, Cage pursued legal studies and prepared for a career at the bar. He studied law in Wilkinson County and, upon being admitted to the bar, commenced his legal practice in Woodville, Mississippi, an important local center of commerce and government. Through his professional work and family connections, he became closely linked to leading figures in the state. He married Catharine N. Stewart (1804–1829), the fourth child of Duncan Stewart, who had served as lieutenant governor of Mississippi, further strengthening his ties to the state’s political leadership. Catharine’s death in 1829 marked a personal loss during a period when Cage’s public responsibilities were expanding.

Cage’s legal abilities and growing prominence led to his appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court of Mississippi, a position he held from 1829 to 1832. In this capacity he participated in shaping the state’s early jurisprudence at a time when Mississippi was grappling with issues of land, commerce, and the legal framework of a rapidly growing slaveholding society. His service on the high court enhanced his reputation and provided a platform for his subsequent entry into national politics.

In 1832, Cage was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third Congress, serving from March 4, 1833, to March 3, 1835, as a U.S. Representative from Mississippi. As a member of the Jackson Party representing Mississippi, he contributed to the legislative process during his single term in office. His service in Congress coincided with the presidency of Andrew Jackson and occurred during a significant period in American history marked by debates over the national bank, federal authority, and the expansion of democracy. Within this context, Cage participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in Mississippi, aligning himself with the broader Jacksonian movement that emphasized states’ rights and opposition to concentrated financial power.

After the conclusion of his congressional term, Cage retired from the active practice of law and relocated to Louisiana. He settled on Woodlawn plantation in Terrebonne Parish, near the town of Houma, where he lived as a planter. From this base in southern Louisiana, he remained part of an extended family network that included several notable figures in the region’s political and military affairs. Among his relatives were his nephews Harry T. Hays, who would become a Confederate general, and John Coffee Hays, a famed Texas Ranger and later a prominent figure in California.

Cage died while visiting New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 31, 1858. Although he had established his residence in Terrebonne Parish, his remains were returned to Mississippi for burial. He was interred in the cemetery of the Stewart family, his late wife’s family, reflecting the enduring importance of his Mississippi connections and the Stewart family’s prominence in the state’s early political history.