John D. Ashmore

John Durant Ashmore (August 18, 1819 – December 5, 1871) was a U.S. representative from South Carolina, and a cousin of Robert T. Ashmore.

Early life and education Born in Greenville District, South Carolina, Ashmore attended the common schools. He studied law and was admitted to the bar but never practiced. He engaged in agricultural pursuits and owned slaves.

Political and business career Ashmore served as member of the South Carolina House of Representatives 1848–1853 and as Comptroller General of South Carolina 1853–1857. Ashmore was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-sixth Congress and served from March 4, 1859, until his resignation on December 21, 1860, upon the attempted secession of South Carolina from the United States of America.

He served as chairman of the Committee on Mileage (Thirty-sixth Congress).

He ran a plantation, but his journals do not record how many slaves he owned.

Death and legacy He died in Sardis, Mississippi, December 5, 1871. He was buried in Black Jack Cemetery, near Sardis, in Panola County, Mississippi.