William Augustus LAKE, Congress, MS (1808-1861)

LAKE, William Augustus, a Representative from Mississippi; born near Cambridge, Dorchester County, Md., January 6, 1808; pursued classical studies and was graduated from Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1827; member of the Maryland house of delegates in 1831; moved to Vicksburg, Miss.; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1834 and commenced practice in Vicksburg, Miss.; member of the State senate in 1848; elected as an American Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1855-March 3, 1857); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1856 to the Thirty-fifth Congress; served in the State house of representatives 1859-1861; resumed the practice of law; was a candidate for the Confederate Congress in 1861 and, during the canvass was killed in a duel by his opponent, Colonel Chambers, of Mississippi, October 15, 1861, at Hopefield, Ark., opposite Memphis, Tenn.; interment in the City Cemetery, Vicksburg, Miss.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present