Edgar Snowden Sr.

Edgar Snowden was born on December 21, 1810. Snowden attended law school and briefly worked as an attorney.{{Cite book |last=Voges |first=Nettie Allen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=etxOAAAAMAAJ&q=Edgar+Snowden+Mayor |title=Old Alexandria: Where America's Past is Present |date=1975 |publisher=EPM Publications |isbn=978-0-914440-10-9 |pages=102 |language=en}} He married Louisa Grymes (1814 –1897) and they had eleven children, including Edgar Snowden Jr., a member of the Virginia Senate.{{Cite news |date=April 26, 1897 |title=Death of Mrs. Snowden |pages=3 |work=The Alexandria Gazette}}1870 United States Federal Census{{Cite web |last=Senate |first=Virginia General Assembly |date=November 16, 1870 |title=Journal of the Senate of Virginia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1z4tAQAAMAAJ&dq=edgar+snowden+jr.&pg=PA7 |publisher=Commonwealth of Virginia |via=Google Books}}

Snowden was active in local politics in Alexandria, and served on the city's Common Council for five years. From 1840 to 1843, Snowden served as mayor of Alexandria.{{Cite book |last1=Finkelman |first1=Paul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N0fLDuFTEbkC&dq=Edgar+Snowden+Alexandria+Mayor&pg=PA151 |title=In the Shadow of Freedom: The Politics of Slavery in the National Capital |last2=Kennon |first2=Donald R. |date=2011-05-03 |publisher=Ohio University Press |isbn=978-0-8214-1934-2 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Mayors and Postmasters of Alexandria, Virginia |url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/VA/ofc/alexandria.html |access-date=15 January 2019 |website=Political Graveyard}} During his time as mayor, he advocated for the retrocession of Alexandria to Virginia, which was approved in 1846.{{cite encyclopedia |title=Cities of Virginia: Alexandria |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Virginia |publisher=Virginia Foundation for the Humanities |url=http://encyclopediavirginia.org/Cities_of_Virginia |access-date=May 21, 2015}}

After the retrocession of the City of Alexandria and Alexandria County back to Virginia, Snowden served several terms as Alexandria's representative in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1846 to 1853. In 1850, Snowden was elected to serve as a representative to the Virginia Constitutional Convention.

Snowden was pro-slavery and threatened abolitionist publishers William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan with lynching should they visit Alexandria.{{Cite book |last=Morley |first=Jefferson |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/757466911 |title=Snow-storm in August : Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the forgotten race riot of 1835 |date=2012 |publisher=Nan A. Talese/Doubleday |isbn=978-0-385-53337-9 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=117 |oclc=757466911}}

In 1853, Snowden was the Whig party nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives for Virginia's 7th congressional district, but was defeated by William "Extra-Billy" Smith.

In 1857, Snowden ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Virginia against incumbent Extra-Billy Smith.{{cite web |title=Alexandria Gazette |url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025007/ |accessdate=21 March 2014 |work=Chronicling America |publisher=Library of Congress}}

After his father's Samuel Snowden's death, Snowden took over the role of publisher and editor of his newspaper, the Alexandria Gazette.{{cite web |title=US Newspaper Directory |url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/results/?state=Virginia&county=&city=Alexandria&rows=50&sort=date |access-date=May 21, 2015 |work=Chronicling America |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington DC}} The newspaper served as the dominant newspaper in Alexandria during the period, and advanced the views of the Whig Party. In addition to printing the Gazette, Snowden ran a printing office business.{{Cite web |title=Collection: Alexandria Gazette Ledgers (MS026) {{!}} Alexandria Library |url=https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/17 |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com}}

During the American Civil War, Snowden used his periodical, The Local News, to promote the cause of the Confederacy. As such, his newspaper became a target for attacks during the war.{{Cite web |title=Snowden, Edgar, 1810-1875. |url=https://snaccooperative.org/view/38867894 |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=snaccooperative.org}} His printing plant was seized by Union officers, property was demolished and looted, and the building was destroyed in a fire and later rebuilt. In 1864, Snowden was arrested by military authorities and detained for a brief period.{{Cite news |last=Dennis |first=Brady |date=2011-04-07 |title=The federal occupation of Alexandria in the Civil War changed and spared city |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/the-federal-occupation-of-alexandria-in-the-civil-war-changed-and-spared-city/2011/04/01/AFaqCAwC_story.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0190-8286}}

Snowden's other business holdings included the Fauquier and Alexandria Turnpike Company and the Alexandria Canal.{{Cite web |title=Company Papers |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/122555889 |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=www.worldcat.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Fauquier and Alexandria Turnpike Company records, 1812-1860 |url=https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/collection/data/122608471 |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=researchworks.oclc.org |language=en}}

Snowden died on September 24, 1875, at the age of 64.{{Cite web |title=Edgar Snowden, Sr. |url=https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_PC992321 |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=npg.si.edu |language=en}} He is buried at the Trinity United Methodist Church cemetery in Alexandria.

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Category:1810 births

Category:1875 deaths

Category:19th-century mayors of places in the District of Columbia

Category:Mayors of Alexandria, D.C.

Category:People from colonial Virginia

Category:Lawyers from Alexandria, Virginia

Category:19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly