Charles Goodyear (April 26, 1804 – April 9, 1876) was a banker, attorney, and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He was most notable for his service as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1845 to 1847 and 1865 to 1867.

Early life

Goodyear was born in Cobleskill, New York on April 26, 1804, the son of Jared Goodyear and Bede (Ives) Goodyear. He attended Hartwick Academy in Otsego County and graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

in 1824. He studied law with Henry Hamilton, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1826 and commenced practice with Hamilton in

Schoharie, New York Schoharie ( ) is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in and the county seat of Schoharie County, New York, Schoharie County, New York (state), New York. The population was 3,299 at the 2000 census. The Town of Schoh ...

Start of career

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, he was Schoharie's

town supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

from 1834 to 1837. In 1840 he also served in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

. Goodyear was appointed first judge of

Schoharie County Schoharie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county seat is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning "f ...

in February 1843 and served until November 1847.

Tenure in Congress

Goodyear was elected to the United States House of Representatives and served in the 29th Congress (March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847). During this term, Goodyear was a member of the Committee on Invalid Pensions. He did not run for reelection and resumed the practice of law in Schoharie. In 1852 he established the Schoharie County Bank, of which he was president. In 1864 Goodyear was again elected to the U.S. House, and he served in the

39th Congress The 39th United States 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 Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1865, ...

(March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1867). His committee assignments during this term included the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions and the Committee on Private Land Claims. He was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1866 and resumed the practice of law in Schoharie.

Later career

Goodyear was a delegate to the

National Union Convention The National Union Convention (also known as the Loyalist Convention, the Southern Loyalist Convention, the National Loyalists' Loyal Union Convention, or the Arm-In-Arm Convention) was held on August 14, 15, and 16 1866, in Philadelphia, Pennsylva ...

in 1866 and to the

1868 Democratic National Convention The 1868 Democratic National Convention was held at Tammany Hall in New York City between July 4, and July 9, 1868. The first Democratic convention after the conclusion of the American Civil War, the convention was notable for the return of Democr ...

. In 1868 an investment bank in which Goodyear was a partner, Goodyear Brothers & Durand, became insolvent. After liquidating his New York assets and property to help pay the firm's debts, in 1869 Goodyear moved to

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

. He practiced law in Virginia and in 1869 received an appointment from Virginia's post-

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

military government as a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for

Albemarle County Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Charl ...

Death and burial

Goodyear died in Charlottesville on April 9, 1876, and was interred at Maplewood Cemetery in Charlottesville, Division E, Block 8, Section 7.

Family

In 1835, Goodyear married Charlotte Seitz Gebhard (1815–1887) of Schoharie. They were the parents of three children—Charles A., George G., and Mary.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goodyear, Charles 1804 births 1876 deaths Members of the New York State Assembly Union College (New York) alumni New York (state) lawyers Virginia Democrats Virginia lawyers People from Schoharie, New York Politicians from Charlottesville, Virginia New York (state) state court judges Virginia state court judges Burials in Virginia Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Cobleskill, New York 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)