Joseph Draper

Joseph Draper (December 25, 1794 – June 10, 1834) was a U.S. Representative from Virginia and a member of the Jacksonian, or Jackson Party, who served two separate terms in the United States Congress during a formative period in early nineteenth-century American politics. His congressional service took place amid the rise of Jacksonian democracy, during which he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his Virginia constituents.

Draper was born on December 25, 1794, in Draper Valley, in what was then Wythe County and is now Pulaski County, Virginia. He was raised in a rural region of southwestern Virginia and attended private schools, receiving the type of classical and practical education common to aspiring professionals of the period. His early life in Draper Valley placed him within a community that would remain closely associated with his family name and to which he would later return.

After completing his early education, Draper pursued the study of law. He read law in the customary manner of the time rather than through formal law school training, preparing himself for admission to the bar. In 1818 he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Wytheville, Virginia, an important local center of commerce and government in the region. His legal career established him as a figure of some prominence in the community and provided the professional foundation for his subsequent political service.

In addition to his legal work, Draper served his country as a private in the War of 1812, participating in the military defense of the United States during the conflict with Great Britain. His public career advanced further when he entered state politics. He served as a member of the Senate of Virginia from 1828 to 1830, taking part in state-level legislative deliberations at a time when Virginia was grappling with questions of internal improvements, representation, and the evolving balance between state and federal authority.

Draper’s service in the Virginia Senate helped pave the way for his election to the national legislature. Identified with the Jacksonian movement, he was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative Alexander Smyth. He took his seat on December 6, 1830, and served until March 3, 1831. As a member of the Jackson Party representing Virginia, Draper contributed to the legislative process during this term in office, participating in the democratic process and advocating for the interests of his constituents during the administration of President Andrew Jackson.

Following the expiration of his first term, Draper sought to continue his congressional career. He unsuccessfully contested the election of Charles C. Johnston to the Twenty-second Congress, reflecting the often closely fought and contentious nature of early nineteenth-century elections. However, a subsequent vacancy returned him to the House of Representatives. After the death of Charles C. Johnston, Draper was again elected as a Jacksonian to fill the vacancy and served in the Twenty-second Congress from December 6, 1832, to March 3, 1833. This second period of service completed his two nonconsecutive terms in Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination at the conclusion of this term and thus ended his federal legislative career in 1833.

After leaving Congress, Draper resumed the practice of law in Wytheville, Virginia. He continued his legal work there until his death on June 10, 1834. Draper died relatively young, at the age of thirty-nine, bringing to a close a career that had encompassed military service, state legislative office, and two separate periods in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was interred in a private burial ground known as Oglesbies Cemetery in Draper Valley, Virginia, returning in death to the community in which he had been born.