William J. Alston

William Jeffreys Alston (December 31, 1800 – June 10, 1876) was an American politician and a United States representative from Alabama.

Biography Alston was born near Petersburg in what is now Elbert County, Georgia, to Nathaniel Alston and Mary Grey Jeffreys Alston. His parents moved soon after his birth to Abbeville District, South Carolina, where he was taught by Moses Waddell. He and his parents moved to Alabama in 1818, eventually settling at McKinley in Marengo County.

Career Following the completion of his education, he moved to Linden and established a law practice there. He went on to serve as judge of the Marengo County Court for several years.

Alston was elected a member of the Alabama House of Representatives from 1836 to 1837. He served in the Alabama Senate from 1839 to 1842. He returned to the Alabama House in 1843. He served at the national level when elected as a Whig to the Thirty-first Congress, holding office from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1851. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1850 and resumed the practice of his profession. Now running as a Democrat, Alston again became a member of the Alabama House from 1855 to 1857. He was interred at Magnolia Cemetery in Magnolia.