Franklin E. Plummer

Franklin E. Plummer (c. 1795 – September 21, 1852) was a Jacksonian U.S. Representative from Mississippi who played an active role in the early political and legal development of the state. He was born in Massachusetts around 1795, although the precise date and place of his birth are not documented in surviving records. Little is known about his family background or early youth in New England, but like many young men of his generation he migrated south and west as new states and territories opened to settlement in the early nineteenth century.

After leaving Massachusetts, Plummer settled in Mississippi, where he first supported himself as a schoolteacher in Copiah County. His work as a teacher placed him in a rapidly developing part of the state and introduced him to the needs of a growing frontier population. During this period he pursued the study of law, a common path for ambitious young men seeking advancement in public life. Having completed his legal studies, he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Westville, then the county seat of Simpson County, Mississippi.

Plummer’s legal career quickly led him into public service. He held various local offices, reflecting the confidence placed in him by his community at a time when Mississippi’s institutions were still being formed. He served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, participating in the legislative work of a young state grappling with questions of internal improvements, land policy, and the organization of local government. In addition to his legislative and legal activities, he was instrumental in founding the town of Pittsburg, a settlement that later became part of what is now Grenada, Mississippi. His role in establishing Pittsburg underscored his engagement with the economic and civic development of the region.

Building on his state and local prominence, Plummer was elected as a Jacksonian to the United States House of Representatives, representing Mississippi in the Twenty-second and Twenty-third Congresses. He served from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1835, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, at a time when national debates over the Bank of the United States, Indian removal, and states’ rights dominated American politics. As a Jacksonian, he aligned himself with the administration’s populist and states’ rights orientation, though the specific details of his committee assignments and floor activity are sparsely recorded in surviving summaries of congressional proceedings.

After completing his two terms in the House, Plummer sought to continue his national political career and became a candidate for the United States Senate from Mississippi. His bid was unsuccessful, and he did not return to federal office. He remained, however, a figure of note in Mississippi’s legal and political circles, continuing his law practice and maintaining his involvement in public affairs. His experience in both state and national government gave him a standing among contemporaries as one of the early generation of Mississippi leaders who bridged local, state, and federal service.

Franklin E. Plummer died in Jackson, Mississippi, on September 21, 1852. Contemporary notices, including a biographical sketch published later that year, remembered him as an early and active participant in the political life of Mississippi and as a lawyer and legislator who had contributed to the establishment and governance of the state during its formative decades.