James Monroe (July 18, 1821 – July 6, 1898) was an American politician who served five terms as a U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1871 to 1881.
James Monroe | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio | |
| In office March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1881 | |
| Preceded by | Martin Welker |
| Succeeded by | William McKinley |
| Constituency | 14th district (1871–1873) 18th district (1873–1879) 17th district (1879–1881) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 18, 1821 Plainfield, Connecticut |
| Died | July 6, 1898 (aged 76) Oberlin, Ohio |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Oberlin College |
Early life
editBorn in Plainfield, Connecticut, Monroe attended the common schools and Plainfield Academy. He was graduated from Oberlin College in 1846. He pursued a postgraduate course in theology and was a professor at Oberlin College from 1849 to 1862.[1]
Career
editHe served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1856–1859. He served in the Ohio Senate from 1860 to 1862, during which time he was chosen to serve as president pro tempore from 1861 and 1862.
In October 1862, he resigned his seat in the Senate to accept the position of United States Consul in Rio de Janeiro and served from 1863 to 1869. Following that, he served for several months in 1869 as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim to Brazil.[2]
Monroe was elected as a Republican to the Forty-second and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1881). He served as chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor (Forty-third Congress) and was not a candidate for renomination.
Later career
editAfter his terms in the House of Representatives, he returned to Oberlin College as a professor from 1883 to 1896.
Personal life
editHe was married twice, first to Elizabeth Maxwell (1825–1862), and later to Julia Finney (1837–1930). He had four children, including:
- Mary Katherine Monroe (1851–1891)
- Charles Edwin Monroe (1861–1947)
He died in Oberlin, Ohio, on July 6, 1898 and was interred in Westwood Cemetery.
Legacy
editThe house in which Monroe and his wife Julia lived when they returned to Oberlin from his consul appointment in Rio de Janeiro is currently preserved as part of the Oberlin Heritage Center. The current interior of the house presents decor and information from the 1860s, 1870s, and 1880s, and uses Monroe's commitments to education and the abolition of slavery to highlight important events in the history of the city of Oberlin.[3]
Writings
edit- Monroe, James (1897). Oberlin Thursday Lectures and Essays. Oberlin, Ohio: Edward J. Goodrich.
References
edit- ^ Center, Sandusky Library Archives Research (20 February 2013). "Sandusky History: James Monroe (1821-1898), Reformer and Abolitionist". Sandusky History. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "James Monroe Papers, 1819-1898 | Oberlin College Archives". oberlinarchives.libraryhost.com. Oberlin College. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "Monroe House". www.oberlinheritagecenter.org. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
- United States Congress. "James Monroe (id: M000857)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
External links
edit- James Monroe at Find a Grave
- "RG 30/22 - James Monroe (1821-1898) - Biography". Oberlin College Archives. Archived from the original on 2011-09-03. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
- "Monroe House." Oberlin Heritage Center. Retrieved 2015-09-30.