William Cullom

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title: "William Cullom" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["clerks-of-the-united-states-house-of-representatives", "tennessee-state-senators", "1810-births", "1896-deaths", "kentucky-whigs", "whig-party-united-states-representatives-from-tennessee", "people-from-wayne-county,-kentucky", "people-from-carthage,-tennessee", "people-from-clinton,-tennessee", "19th-century-united-states-representatives", "19th-century-members-of-the-tennessee-general-assembly"] description: "American politician (1810–1896)" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cullom" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American politician (1810–1896) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	William Cullom
office	Clerk of the United States House of Representatives
term_start	1856
term_end	1857
predecessor	John W. Forney
successor	James C. Allen
district2	8th
district1	4th
state2	Tennessee
state1	Tennessee
term_start2	March 4, 1851
term_end2	March 3, 1853
predecessor2	Andrew Ewing
successor2	Felix Zollicoffer
term_start1	March 4, 1853
term_end1	March 3, 1855
predecessor1	John Houston Savage
successor1	John Houston Savage
office4	Member of the Tennessee Senate
term4	1843–1847
party	Whig
birth_date
birth_place	Wayne County, Kentucky, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Clinton, Tennessee, U.S.
spouse	Virginia Ingram Cullom
children
residence	Cullum Mansion
profession	Lawyer, politician
::

|name = William Cullom |image = |order = |office = Clerk of the United States House of Representatives |term_start = 1856 |term_end = 1857 |predecessor = John W. Forney |successor = James C. Allen |district2 = 8th |district1 = 4th |state2 = Tennessee |state1 = Tennessee |term_start2 = March 4, 1851 |term_end2 = March 3, 1853 |predecessor2 = Andrew Ewing |successor2 = Felix Zollicoffer |term_start1 = March 4, 1853 |term_end1 = March 3, 1855 |predecessor1 = John Houston Savage |successor1 = John Houston Savage |office4 = Member of the Tennessee Senate |term4 = 1843–1847 |party = Whig |birth_date = |birth_place = Wayne County, Kentucky, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = Clinton, Tennessee, U.S. |spouse = Virginia Ingram Cullom Mary Griffith Cullom |children = |alma_mater = |residence = Cullum Mansion |profession = Lawyer, politician William Cullom (June 4, 1810 – December 6, 1896) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Biography

Cullom was born on June 4, 1810, near Monticello, Kentucky, in Wayne County. He attended the public schools and studied law in Lexington, Kentucky. He was admitted to the bar, and he practiced in the courts of Kentucky and Tennessee. He moved to Carthage, Tennessee and served as a member of the Tennessee State Senate from 1843 to 1847.

Career

Elected as a Whig to the Thirty-second Congress by Tennessee's 8th congressional district, and to the Thirty-third Congress by Tennessee's 4th congressional district, he served from March 4, 1851, to March 3, 1855. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1854 to the Thirty-fourth Congress.

Cullom was appointed the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives in the Thirty-fourth Congress, and he served from February 4, 1856, to December 6, 1857. During the debate on secession, Cullom stumped Tennessee in favor of remaining in the Union but when Tennessee finally seceded, he grudgingly supported the decision but retired to his home at Carthage and did not take a prominent role supporting either side. Both sides viewed his actions with much distrust thinking he was supporting the other. After the war, he was divorced from his first wife, Virginia Ingram Cullom, and remarried to Mary Griffin.

Appointed Attorney General for the 16th Judicial Circuit in 1873, Cullom also served as a judge in Clinton for several years He resumed the practice of law and was the attorney general for the sixteenth district from 1873 to 1878.

Death

Cullom died in Clinton, Tennessee on December 6, 1896 (age 86 years, 185 days). He was interred at McAdoo Cemetery in Clinton, Tennessee, and later reinterred at Mount Olivet Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Notes

References

1. Lawrence Kestenbaum. "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Cullenbine to Cultra". politicalgraveyard.com.
2. "William Cullom". Govtrack US Congress.
3. "William Cullom". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
4. "William Cullom". The Political Graveyard.

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