Background
He was the great-grandson of Carter Braxton.
lawyer politician representative
He was the great-grandson of Carter Braxton.
Born in Mathews, Virginia, Braxton attended the common schools as a child, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1849, commencing in Richmond, Virginia.
He moved to Richmond County, Virginia and served in the Virginia Senate from 1852 to 1856. He later moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1860 and continued practicing law. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Braxton raised a company for the Confederate Army and was elected its captain.
He was later promoted to a major and served in the staff of General John R. Cooke.
After being unsuccessful for reelection in 1872, Braxton resumed practicing law in Fredericksburg until his death there on October 2, 1891. He was interred there in the Confederate Cemetery.
Braxton was elected to the United States. House of Representatives (7th district) over Republican incumbent Lewis McKenzie by a margin of 53-47%. Following redistricting, he ran in the 1st district against Republican James B. Sener, this time losing by a narrow margin of 49-51% (373 votes).
After the war, Braxton was elected a member of the common council of Fredericksburg in 1866 and was later elected a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives in 1870, serving from 1871 to 1873.