James Meacham

James Meacham (August 16, 1810 – August 23, 1856) was an American politician, minister and professor. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont from 1849 until his death.

James Meacham
Member of the
United States House of Representatives
from Vermont's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1853 – August 23, 1856
Preceded byAhiman L. Miner
Succeeded byGeorge Tisdale Hodges
Member of the
United States House of Representatives
from Vermont's 3rd district
In office
December 3, 1849 – March 3, 1853
Preceded byGeorge Perkins Marsh
Succeeded byAlvah Sabin
Personal details
Born(1810-08-16)August 16, 1810
Rutland Town, Vermont, US
DiedAugust 23, 1856(1856-08-23) (aged 46)
Rutland Town, Vermont
Political partyWhig (before 1854)
Opposition (from 1854)
Spouse(s)Caroline Eliza Bottum (m. 1842-1843, her death)
Mary Gifford (m. 1845-1856, his death)
Children3
Alma materMiddlebury College
Andover Theological Seminary
ProfessionClergyman

Early life

Meacham was born in Rutland Town, Vermont to Lewis and Naomi Eayres Meacham. He attended the academy in St. Albans, Vermont and graduated from Middlebury College in 1832. He and taught at Castleton Seminary from 1832 to 1833 and St. Albans Academy from 1833 until 1834.[1][2] He was a tutor at Middlebury College from 1836 until 1838.[3]

From 1834 until 1836, Meacham studied for the ministry at Andover Theological Seminary. He was ordained as a Congregational minister in 1838 and assumed duties as pastor of the church in New Haven, Vermont, where he served 1839 to 1846.[4][5] He was also a tutor and professor of Rhetoric and English Literature at Middlebury College from 1846 to 1850.[6]

Political career

Meacham was elected to Congress as a Whig in 1849 and filled the vacancy caused by the resignation of George P. Marsh during the 31st United States Congress. Meacham was reelected to the 32nd and 33rd Congresses. After the demise of the Whig Party, in 1854 he was reelected to the 34th United States Congress as an Opposition Party candidate. He served in Congress from December 3, 1849 until his death on August 23, 1856.[7][8] Meacham was chairman for the Committee on the District of Columbia in the 34th Congress.

He was a trustee of Middlebury College from 1855 until 1856,[9] and was a regent at the Smithsonian Institution from 1852 until 1856.[10]

Personal life

Meacham married Caroline Bottum on May 17, 1842. They had one child, Elias B. (1843-1844). Following Caroline's 1843 death, on February 20, 1845 Meacham married Mary Gifford. They were the parents of two children, Emma P., the wife of William H. Davis, and Lewis Henry (1846-1878).[11]

Death and burial

Meacham died in Rutland on August 23, 1856. He was interred at West Cemetery in Middlebury.[12] A cenotaph in his memory is located at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.[13]

See also

References
  1. Middlebury College (1917). Catalogue of officers and students of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont: and of others who have received degrees, 1800-1915. Middlebury College. p. 99.
  2. Lanman, Charles (1876). Biographical annals of the civil government of the United States: during its first century. From original and official sources. J. Anglim. pp. 289.
  3. Middlebury College (1890). Catalogue of the officers and alumni of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont: and all others who have received degrees, 1800 to 1889. The Register Co. pp. 71.
  4. Vermont Historical Society (1918). Vermont History. Vermont Historical Society. p. 124.
  5. "MEACHAM, James, (1810 - 1856)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  6. Middlebury College (1853). Catalogue of the graduates of Middlebury College: embracing a biographical register and directory. The Vermont Chronicle Press. pp. 90.
  7. "Rep. James Meacham". Govtrack.us. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  8. Poore, Benjamin Perley (1878). The political register and congressional directory: a statistical record of the federal officials, legislative, executive, and judicial, of the United States of America, 1776-1878. Houghton, Osgood. pp. 530.
  9. Middlebury College (1890). Catalogue of the officers and alumni of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont: and all others who have received degrees, 1800 to 1889. The Register Co. pp. 71.
  10. "Meacham, James (8/16/1810-8/23/1856)". Smithsonian Institution Archives. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  11. "Re: James Meacham In Congress in 1849 Whig". Ancestry.com. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  12. "Meacham, James (1810-1856)". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  13. "James Meacham". Find A Grave. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
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