Representative Joseph Parkinson Newsham

Joseph Parkinson Newsham (May 24, 1837 – October 22, 1919) was a 19th-century politician, lawyer, merchant, and planter from Louisiana who served two non-consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Louisiana in Congress during the Reconstruction era, contributing to the legislative process over two terms in office and participating in the democratic governance of the state at a critical period in American history.

Newsham was born in Preston, England, on May 24, 1837. In 1839 he immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled in Monroe County, Illinois. He received an academic education in Illinois and, as a young man, was employed in a mercantile establishment for two years. This early experience in commerce preceded his decision to pursue the law. He studied law in Illinois and was admitted to the bar in 1860, commencing legal practice in Edwardsville, Illinois, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War.

With the onset of the Civil War, Newsham entered the Union Army and served as adjutant of the 32nd Missouri Volunteer Infantry. In this capacity he performed administrative and staff duties typical of a regimental adjutant, supporting the command structure of the regiment. His military service was cut short when he sustained disabling injuries in action on July 4, 1864. As a result of these wounds, he resigned his commission later that year, ending his active participation in the war.

In 1864, following his resignation from the army, Newsham moved to Donaldsonville, Louisiana. There he was appointed clerk of the fourth judicial district court of the Parish of Ascension, marking his entry into public service in his adopted state. He was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1865 and began the practice of law in Donaldsonville. In 1867 he relocated to St. Francisville, Louisiana, where he became increasingly involved in Republican politics and Reconstruction-era governance. He served as a member of the Louisiana Constitutional Convention of 1867–1868, which was instrumental in restructuring the state’s government and legal framework as Louisiana was being readmitted to representation in the Union.

Upon Louisiana’s readmission to representation in Congress, Newsham was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1868 from Louisiana’s 3rd congressional district. He served in the Fortieth Congress from 1868 until 1869, representing the interests of his constituents and participating in the legislative debates of Reconstruction. In 1868 he also established the Feliciana Republican, a newspaper based in St. Francisville, reflecting his engagement with public opinion and party organization in the postwar South. In the elections of 1870 he was again chosen to serve in the House of Representatives, this time from Louisiana’s 4th congressional district, and he held that seat until 1871. Over these two non-consecutive terms, from 1867 to 1871, he contributed to the work of Congress during a significant period in American history. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1870 and left office at the conclusion of his term in 1871.

After his congressional service, Newsham remained in St. Francisville, where he devoted himself to agricultural and commercial pursuits. He worked as a planter and merchant in the region, continuing in these occupations for several decades. He retired from active business life in 1913, after nearly half a century of residence and activity in Louisiana following the Civil War.

Joseph Parkinson Newsham died in St. Francisville, Louisiana, on October 22, 1919. He was interred in Grace Church Cemetery in St. Francisville, closing a life that spanned immigration from England, service in the Union Army, participation in Reconstruction-era politics, and long engagement in the legal, commercial, and agricultural life of Louisiana.