Charles James Lanman (June 5, 1795 – July 25, 1870) was an American lawyer and politician.

Early life

Lanman was born on June 5, 1795, in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...

. He was one of four sons and eight daughters born to

James Lanman James Lanman (June 14, 1767August 7, 1841) was an American lawyer and politician from Connecticut who served in the United States Senate from 1819 to 1825. He was a cousin of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Early life James Lanman ...

(1769–1841) and Marian Griswold ( Chandler) Lanman (1774–1817), a granddaughter of Governor Matthew Griswold. His father was a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from Connecticut who was a cousin of Presidents

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

and John Quincy Adams. He attended

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, from where he graduated in 1814.

Career

Following his graduation from Yale, he studied law with his kinsman,

Roger Griswold Roger Griswold (; May 21, 1762 – October 25, 1812) was a nineteenth-century lawyer, politician and judge from Connecticut. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court and the 22 ...

(the former

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connecticu ...

), and with his father before being admitted to the bar in 1817.

Michigan Territory

Although he was invited by

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

to settle in Kentucky, Lanman emigrated to the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...

in 1817 on the invitation of his friends,

William Woodbridge William Woodbridge (August 20, 1780October 20, 1861) was a U.S. statesman in the states of Ohio and Michigan and in the Michigan Territory prior to statehood. He served as the second Governor of Michigan and a United States Senator from Michi ...

(later a

and

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

) and

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He w ...

(the 2nd Governor of the Michigan Territory and later the Secretary of War under Jackson,

U.S. Ambassador to France The United States ambassador to France is the official representative of the president of the United States to the president of France. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with France since the American Revolution. Relations we ...

under Jackson,

Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

, Harrison, Tyler and Secretary of State under

Buchanan Buchanan may refer to: People * Buchanan (surname) Places Africa * Buchanan, Liberia, a large coastal town Antarctica * Buchanan Point, Laurie Island Australia * Buchanan, New South Wales * Buchanan, Northern Territory, a locality * Buchanan ...

), making the journey from Buffalo to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

largely on horseback. While in Michigan, Lanman began practicing law as a partner with Woodbridge. While "riding the circuit he visited Frenchtown, on the

River Raisin The River Raisin is a river in southeastern Michigan, United States, that flows through Ice age, glacial sediments into Lake Erie. The area today is an agriculture, agricultural and Industrial sector, industrial center of Michigan. The river flo ...

, where he married the daughter of Frenchman" and settled there. In Frenchtown, he "held many local positions, such as attorney for the Territory, Judge of Probate, colonel of Militia, inspector of customs, and postmaster of Frenchtown." President Monroe appointed him receiver of public moneys for the District of Michigan and he was reappointed by President Adams, serving from 1823 to 1831. He was also an extensive dealer in public lands; owning at one time the entire site upon which the city of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

was built, and was one of the founders of the town of

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and ...

Later life

He returned to Norwich in 1835 for "family considerations". Although he lost the bulk of his properties in Michigan during the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment went up, and pessimism abound ...

, he was chosen Mayor of Norwich in 1838 and then president of the Norwich Water Power Company. In 1862, he moved to

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

"because of his intense love of the scenery and air of the ocean."

Personal life

On March 19, 1819, Lanman was married to Marie Jeanne Guie (1801–1879), a native of Canada who was a daughter of Antoine Francois Guie and Mary Angelica ( Bourdeau) Guie. Together, they were the parents of nine children, seven daughters and two sons, of whom the following survived to adulthood: * Charles James Lanman (1819–1895), who married Adeline Dodge, a daughter of Francis Dodge of Georgetown, in 1849. * Marie Louisa Lanman (1822–1893), who married, as his third wife (after the death of her sister), John De Peyster Douw Jr., a son of John De Peyster Douw and Catherine ( Gansevoort) Douw. * Julia Woodbridge Lanman (1824–1903), who married William Pierpont Williams in 1851. * Marianna Chandler Lanman (1826–1884), who married, as his second wife, John De Peyster Douw Jr. * Elizabeth Gray Lanman (1829–1883), who married lawyer Darius G. Crosby in 1866. * Sarah Cort Lanman (1833–1899), who married her cousin, Thomas Hubbard. * Mary Jane Lanman (1834–1894), who married New York lawyer Edmund J. Vose. * Roger Griswold Lanman (1836–1845), who died young of

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

. * Susan Harmer Lanman (1838–1914), who died unmarried. Lanman died in New London on July 25, 1870. His widow died at their daughter Susan's residence in

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was List of municipalities in ...

, in 1879 and was buried with Lanman in Norwich.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lanman, Charles J. 1795 births 1870 deaths Yale University alumni Mayors of Norwich, Connecticut