Hopkins Holsey

Who was Hopkins Holsey?

Hopkins Holsey was a United States Representative, newspaper publisher and lawyer from Georgia.

Born near Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1779, Holsey attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, and graduated from the Litchfield Law School in Litchfield, Connecticut. Holsey gained admittance to the Georgia state bar and practiced law in Hamilton, Georgia.

Holsey represented Hancock County, Georgia, in the Georgia House of Representatives before moving to Harris County, Georgia. In 1835, he was elected as a Jacksonian Representative from Georgia to the 24th United States Congress to serve the remainder of the term left vacant when James C. Terrell resigned due to poor health. Holsey switched political parties to win reelection to his seat as a Democrat in the 25th Congress. His congressional service spanned from October 5, 1835, until March 3, 1839.

After his congressional service, Holsey moved to Athens, Georgia, and became publisher of the Southern Banner. He ran unsuccessfully for the 33rd United States Congress. After leaving the newspaper industry, Holsey began practicing law again in Butler, Georgia. He died at Brighwater, his estate near Butler, and was buried there.