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Kensey Johns Jr. (December 10, 1791 – March 28, 1857) was an American lawyer and politician from Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party and later the Whig Party who served as U.S. Representative from Delaware.
Kensey Johns Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chancellor of Delaware | |
| In office January 18, 1832 – March 28, 1857 | |
| Preceded by | Kensey Johns Sr. |
| Succeeded by | Samuel M. Harrington |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Delaware's at-large district | |
| In office October 2, 1827 – March 3, 1831 | |
| Preceded by | Louis McLane |
| Succeeded by | John J. Milligan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 10, 1791 New Castle, Delaware, U.S. |
| Died | March 28, 1857 (aged 65) New Castle, Delaware, U.S. |
| Political party | Federalist Whig |
| Spouse | Maria |
| Alma mater | Princeton College |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Early life and education
editJohns was born in New Castle, Delaware, son of Delaware jurist and Chancellor Kensey Johns. Growing up, he pursued classical studies and graduated from Princeton College in 1810.
He studied law with his uncle, Nicholas Van Dyke, and at the Litchfield Law School, was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1813 and commenced the practice of law in New Castle.[1]
Career
editJohns was elected to the 20th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the appointment of Louis McLane to the U.S. Senate and McLane's consequent resignation. He was reelected to the 21st Congress and served from October 2, 1827, to March 3, 1831.[1][a]
After the death of his father, he was appointed to take his place as Chancellor of Delaware in 1832. He served in this capacity for 25 years, until his own death in 1857.[2] He also served as Presiding Judge of the Orphan's Court and Court of Errors and Appeals.
Personal life
editHis wife was Maria Johns and his mother was Nancy Ann Van Dyke Johns, the daughter of former Delaware President Nicholas Van Dyke. They were members of the Presbyterian Church at New Castle. He was a slaveholder.[3]
Death and legacy
editJohns died unexpectedly in New Castle, Delaware, while in office. He was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery in New Castle.
He is said to have been "painstaking and laborious to a degree in his careful examination of questions, but was also notably prompt in making his decisions." He was known to have been a lawyer who would be "referring every case to some well-settled principle of law, rather than seeking to support it upon mere case authority. He not only laboriously, but conscientiously, sought to adjudge every case thus submitted, but also to draw upon therefrom well defined principles and rules of equity." Nevertheless, he was "notably prompt in making his decisions, seldom permitting the term to pass in making his determination."[4]
Almanac
editElections were held the first Tuesday of October. U.S. Representatives took office March 4 and have a two-year term.
| Public offices | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Type | Location | Began office | Ended office | Notes | |
| U.S. Representative | Legislature | Washington | October 2, 1827 | March 3, 1831 | ||
| Chancellor | Judiciary | Dover | January 18, 1832 | March 28, 1857 | State Chancery Court | |
| United States congressional service | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | Congress | Chamber | Majority | President | Committees | Class/District |
| 1827–1829 | 20th | U.S. House | Democratic | John Quincy Adams | class 1 | |
| 1829–1831 | 21st | U.S. House | Democratic | Andrew Jackson | class 1 | |
| Election results | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | |||
| 1828 | U.S. Representative | Kensey Johns Jr. | Federalist | 4,769 | 52% | James A. Bayard Jr. | Republican | 4,347 | 48% | |||
Notes
edit- ^ The Sunday Morning Star erroneously claims that Johns "had served the state in both houses of Congress", but there is no record of his supposed service in the United States Senate.
References
edit- ^ a b "JOHNS, Kensey, Jr. | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ The Sunday Morning Star. The Sunday Morning Star.
- ^ Weil, Julie Zauzmer; Blanco, Adrian; Dominguez, Leo (January 10, 2022). "More than 1,800 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation". Washington Post. Retrieved April 16, 2022. Updated April 12, 2022.
- ^ Conrad, Henry C., History of the State of Delaware, 1908.
Bibliography
edit- Martin, Roger A. (2003). Delawareans in Congress: The House of Representatives, Vol. One 1789-1900. Newark: Roger A. Martin. ISBN 0-924117-26-5.
- Martin, Roger A. (1995). Memoirs of the Senate. Newark: Roger A. Martin.
- Munroe, John A. (2004). The Philadelawareans. Newark: University of Delaware Press. ISBN 0-87413-872-8.
- Munroe, John A. (1954). Federalist Delaware 1775-1815. New Brunswick: Rutgers University.
- Ward, Christopher (1941). The Delaware Continentals. Wilmington, DE: Historical Society of Delaware. ISBN 0-924117-21-4.
- Wilson, W. Emerson (1969). Forgotten Heroes of Delaware. Cambridge, MA: Deltos Publishing Company.
