Amos Jay Cummings (May 15, 1841 – May 2, 1902) was an American newspaperman, Civil War veteran, and politician who served as a United States Representative from

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from 1889 to 1894, and from 1895 to 1902. He was a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

Biography

Born in Conklin, New York, Cummings attended the common schools before being apprenticed to the printing trade at age twelve. Cummings claimed he was with

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in his last invasion of Nicaragua in October 1858, but this is disputed by Cummings' biographer. During the Civil War, Cummings enlisted in the Army at Irvington, New Jersey, in September 1862 and served as a Sergeant Major in the 26th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He earned the Medal of Honor on May 4, 1863, at Salem Heights, Virginia. His official citation reads: "Rendered great assistance in the heat of the action in rescuing a part of the field batteries from an extremely dangerous and exposed position." His medal was not awarded until several decades later, on March 28, 1894. He was mustered out in June 1863.

Journalism

After his military service, Cummings filled

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

ial positions for the ''

New York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...

'' under

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...

. He later worked for '' The New York Sun'' and the ''New York Express''. He published a series of popular travel accounts of Florida and the American West for ''The New York Sun''.

Congress

Cummings was elected as a Democrat to the

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(March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889). He declined renomination in 1888, but was subsequently elected to the

51st Congress The 51st United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar Congress, was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Rep ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Samuel S. Cox. He was reelected to the 52nd and 53rd Congresses and served from November 5, 1889, to November 21, 1894, when he resigned. He served as chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs during the 53rd Congress. Cummings was elected to the 54th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative-elect

Andrew J. Campbell Andrew Jackson Campbell (1828 – December 6, 1894) was an American politician from New York. Life Born in Newark, New Jersey, Campbell worked in government as a deputy tax commissioner, clerk of a judicial court and in public works. He was also ...

. He was reelected to the 55th, 56th, and 57th Congresses and served from November 5, 1895, until his death in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, on May 2, 1902. He was interred in Clinton Cemetery in Irvington, New Jersey.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant Major, 26th New Jersey Infantry. Place and date: At Salem Heights, Va., 4 May 1863. Entered service at: Irvington, N.J. Born: 15 May 1841, Conklin, N.Y. Date of issue. 28 March 1894. Citation:

Rendered great assistance in the heat of the action in rescuing a part of the field batteries from an extremely dangerous and exposed position.

Notes

References

: : Retrieved on January 30, 2008

External links

*
Memorial addresses on the life and character of Amos J. Cummings, late a representative from New York delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1902

Archival material by or about Amos J. Cummings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cummings, Amos Jay 1841 births 1902 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Union Army soldiers American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians