Library of Congress

TURNEY, Hopkins Lacy, a Representative and a Senator from Tennessee; born at Dixon Springs, Smith County, Tenn., October 3, 1797; apprenticed to the tailor’s trade; served in the Seminole War in 1818; studied law; admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Jasper, Tenn.; moved to Winchester, Tenn., and continued the practice of law; member, State house of representatives 1828-1838; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth, and Twenty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1837-March 3, 1843); elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1845, to March 3, 1851; chairman, Committee on Retrenchment (Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth Congresses), Committee on Patents and the Patent Office (Thirty-first Congress); resumed the practice of law; died in Winchester, Tenn., August 1, 1857; interment in Winchester Cemetery.