Datus Ensing Coon (1831 - 1893) was a newspaper publisher, Union Army officer during the American Civil War, planter, and state politician in Alabama. He was a delegate to the 1875 Alabama Constitutional Convention and a fraternal order of veterans president in San Diego, California.[1] He served as a state legislator during the Reconstruction era in Alabama. representing Dallas County, Alabama in the Alabama House of Representatives.[2] He served on investigating committee evaluating corruption allegations against U.S. Senator George E. Spencer.[3]
He was the son of Luke Coon Jr. and Lois Locina Burdick, born in De Ruyter, New York to a religious family with roots in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He was named for Datus Ensign (1783-1853), [4] a famous evangelist of the time. [5] He worked on a farm in Iowa with his father before starting a newspaper.[6] During the American Civil War he served as Colonel of the 2nd Iowa Cavalry Regiment and eventually commanded a cavalry brigade.[7]
In 1872 he was documented as an inspector in the 2nd District of Alabama.[8] A specimen of gypsiferous marl from him in Selma, Alabama was documented in an agricultural report in 1872.[9]
He served as U.S. Commercial Agent in Baracoa, Cuba.[10]
He moved to San Diego in 1878 to serve as a "Chinese Inspector" (Chinese Exclusion Act).[11][12] He was a leading member of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) in San Diego and was accidentally shot in 1893. The organization named one of its posts for him.[12]
He is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in San Diego.[10]
Further reading[]
- An Illustrated History of Southern California: Embracing the Counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower California, The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago 1890 pages 291 and 292
References[]
- ↑ "The Code of Alabama: 1876". Barrett & Brown. December 31, 1877. https://books.google.com/books?id=Q4c0AQAAMAAJ&q=%22d.+e.+coon%22+alabama&pg=PA119-IA1.
- ↑ Representatives, USA Congress House of (December 31, 1875). "House Documents". U.S. Government Printing Office. https://books.google.com/books?id=7iFlAAAAcAAJ&q=%22d.+e.+coon%22+alabama&pg=PA1119.
- ↑ Senate, Alabama Legislature (December 31, 1876). "Journal of the Senate of the State of Alabama". https://books.google.com/books?id=68BKAQAAMAAJ&q=%22d.+e.+coon%22+alabama&pg=PA143.
- ↑ "Error: no
|title=specified when using {{Cite web}}". https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/K2VC-DNT/reverend-datus-ensign-iii-1783-1853. - ↑ Family genealogical records of Elizabeth Smith Clark et al.
- ↑ Stuart, Addison A. (December 31, 1865). "Iowa Colonels and Regiments: Being a History of Iowa Regiments in the War of the Rebellion; and Containing a Description of the Battles in which They Have Fought". Mills & Company. https://books.google.com/books?id=G5cvAAAAYAAJ&q=%22datus+e.+coon%22&pg=PA577.
- ↑ Office, Iowa Adjutant General's (December 31, 1865). "Report of the Adjutant General and Acting Quartermaster General of the State of Iowa". F.W. Palmer, state printer. https://books.google.com/books?id=W_w_AAAAYAAJ&q=%22d.+e.+coon%22+alabama&pg=PA1317.
- ↑ Treasury, United States Department of the (December 31, 1872). "An Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of the U.S.". https://books.google.com/books?id=8W9EAQAAMAAJ&q=%22d.+e.+coon%22+alabama.
- ↑ Agriculture, USA Department of (December 31, 1873). "Monthly Report of the Department of Agriculture: 1872 (1873)". U.S. Government Printing Office. https://books.google.com/books?id=-a9YAAAAcAAJ&q=%22d.+e.+coon%22+alabama&pg=PA372.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Coon". http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/coon.html.
- ↑ https://honors.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/797 [bare URL PDF]
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 https://sandiegohistory.org/wp-content/uploads/migrated/online_resources/downloads/MS%2520157%2520Grand%2520Army%2520of%2520the%2520Republic%2520Collection.pdf [dead link]
External links[]
The original article can be found at Datus Ensign Coon and the edit history here.