Columbus Evans
Columbus Evans | |
|---|---|
| Born | Columbus Penn Evans September 6, 1824 Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 19, 1854 (aged 29) |
| Burial place | Oaklands Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, soldier, politician |
| Political party | Whig |
| Relatives | Henry S. Evans (brother) |
Columbus Penn Evans (September 6, 1824 – February 19, 1854) was an American politician, newspaper editor, and soldier from Pennsylvania. He served as mayor of Wilmington, Delaware, in 1851–52.
Life and career
Evans was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, to Septimus and Catharine (Haupt) Evans. He was the younger brother of Henry S. Evans, a Pennsylvania state representative and the owner-publisher of The Village Record in West Chester. After serving an apprenticeship with his brother's newspaper, Evans moved to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1844 to work as editor of the Delaware Republican newspaper.[1]
He served as a first lieutenant with the 11th United States Infantry Regiment during the Mexican–American War. On August 20, 1847, he received the brevet of captain "for gallant and meritorious conduct in the battles of Contreras and Cherubusco."[1] He landed in New York in August 1848 and resumed his editorial duties in Wilmington. On February 20, 1849, the Delaware General Assembly presented him with a ceremonial sword and a letter from Governor William Tharp.[2] A Whig elected mayor of Wilmington in 1851, he did not seek reelection in 1852.[1]
Evans died of tuberculosis in West Chester on February 19, 1854, at the age of 29. He was interred with military honors at Oaklands Cemetery.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Futhey, John Smith; Cope, Gilbert (1881). History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with Genealogical and Biographical Sketches. Philadelphia: L. H. Everts. pp. 328, 541.
- ^ Thomson, Wilmer W. (1898). Chester County and Its People. Chicago: Union History Company. p. 274.
- 1824 births
- 1854 deaths
- 19th-century American newspaper editors
- American military personnel of the Mexican–American War
- Burials at Oaklands Cemetery
- Delaware Whigs
- Editors of Delaware newspapers
- Mayors of Wilmington, Delaware
- People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
- People from West Chester, Pennsylvania
- Politicians from West Chester, Pennsylvania