16 Facts About Francis Cockrell

Francis Marion Cockrell was a Confederate military commander and American politician from the state of Missouri.

Francis Cockrell served as a United States senator from Missouri for five terms.

Francis Cockrell's older brother was Jeremiah Vardaman Cockrell, who was a congressman from Texas in the 1890s.

Francis Cockrell attended local schools and Chapel Hill College in Lafayette County, Missouri, graduating in July 1853; He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1855, practicing law in Warrensburg until the outbreak of the Civil War.

At the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, Francis Cockrell joined the Missouri State Guard as a Captain.

Francis Cockrell distinguished himself at the Battle of Champion Hill, launching a counterattack that temporarily ousted troops of XVII Corps off the hill.

Francis Cockrell took part in the Battle of Big Black River Bridge.

Francis Cockrell's brigade was able to escape just before federal troops seized the bridge.

Francis Cockrell was wounded in the hand by an exploding shell during the Siege of Vicksburg.

Francis Cockrell was promoted to brigadier general on July 18,1863.

Francis Cockrell went on to fight in many of the battles of the 1864 Atlanta Campaign, and participated in Hood's Tennessee Campaign later that year where he was wounded at the Battle of Franklin on November 30,1864.

In 1865, Francis Cockrell commanded a division in defence of Fort Blakeley, Alabama.

In 1874, Francis Cockrell, who became a member of the United States Democratic Party, was elected to the US Senate from Missouri by the state legislature.

Francis Cockrell held several committee chairmanships, including the chairmanships of the Claims Committee, Engrossed Bills Committee and Appropriations Committee during his senate career.

Francis Cockrell received 42 votes for President of the United States at the 1904 Democratic National Convention, but was defeated by Alton B Parker.

Francis Cockrell was appointed to the Interstate Commerce Commission by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905, serving in that capacity until 1910.