Willis Alston (1769 - 10 April 1837) was a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1825 and 1831. Born near Littleton, North Carolina in Halifax County, Alston attended Princeton College and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons in 1790 and served for two years; in 1794 he was elected to a single term in the North Carolina Senate.
In 1798, Alston was elected as a Republican to the first of eight consecutive terms in the U.S. House, spanning March 4, 1799 to March 3, 1815. There, he chaired the House Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business during the 13th U.S. Congress.
Although he returned to the state house of commons between 1820 and 1824, Alston returned to Washington in 1824, elected as a Jacksonian Democrat. Serving two terms (March 4, 1825 - March 3, 1831), Alston chaired the Committee on Elections during the 21st Congress. He declined to seek re-election in 1830 and returned to agriculture. Alston died in 1837 in Halifax and is buried at his plantation home of Butterwood, near Littleton.
This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
