John Wilkins Whitfield
Politician. Born: March 11, 1818, Franklin, Tennessee. Died: October 27, 1879, Lavaca County, Texas. Served as non-voting delegate in U.S. House of Representatives: December 20, 1854, to March 3, 1857.
Kansas' first elected representative was born in Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee, on March 11, 1818. John W. Whitfield served in the Mexican War and removed to western Missouri in 1853 to serve as agent for the Potawatomi Indians. He was elected Kansas Territory's delegate to the U.S. Congress in November 1854 by the proslavery majority and served from December 20, 1854, to March 3, 1857. Whitfield was register of the land office at Doniphan, Kansas, 1857-1861, and then joined the 27th Texas Cavalry at the outbreak of the Civil War. He died in Lavaca County, Texas, on October 27, 1879.
Entry: Whitfield, John Wilkins
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: June 2011
Date Modified: December 2017
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
