James Monroe (congressman)

James Monroe (July 18, 1821 – July 6, 1898) was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.

For the congressman from New York, see James Monroe (New York politician).
James Monroe
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 14th district
In office
March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873
Preceded byMartin Welker
Succeeded byJohn Berry
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 18th district
In office
March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879
Preceded byWilliam H. Upson
Succeeded byJonathan T. Updegraff
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 17th district
In office
March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881
Preceded byWilliam McKinley
Succeeded byWilliam McKinley
Personal details
Born(1821-07-18)July 18, 1821
Plainfield, Connecticut
DiedJuly 6, 1898(1898-07-06) (aged 76)
Oberlin, Ohio
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
  • Elizabeth Maxwell
  • Julia Finney
Children4
Alma materOberlin College

Early life

Born 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 1849–1862.[1]

Career

He served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1856–1859. He served in the Ohio Senate from 1860–1862, 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

After his terms in the House of Representatives, he returned to Oberlin College as a professor from 1883–1896.

Personal life

He 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, July 6, 1898 and was interred in Westwood Cemetery.

Legacy

The 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
  • Monroe, James (1897). Oberlin Thursday Lectures and Essays. Oberlin, Ohio: Edward J. Goodrich.

References
  1. Center, Sandusky Library Archives Research (20 February 2013). "Sandusky History: James Monroe (1821-1898), Reformer and Abolitionist". Sandusky History. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  2. "James Monroe Papers, 1819-1898 | Oberlin College Archives". oberlinarchives.libraryhost.com. Oberlin College. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  3. "Monroe House". www.oberlinheritagecenter.org. Retrieved 2015-09-30.


 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.


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