Fernando Cortez Beaman (June 28, 1814 – September 27, 1882) was a teacher, lawyer and politician from

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

during and after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

and as mayor of

Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 7th congressional district. History Adrian was founded on June 18, 1826 by Addison Co ...

Early life

Beaman was born in

Chester, Vermont Chester is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,005 at the 2020 census. History The town was originally chartered by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth as Flamstead in 1754. The terms of the charter were n ...

, the son of Joshua Beaman and Hannah (Olcott) Beaman. He moved with his parents to a farm in Franklin County, New York, in 1819, and attended the district schools and Franklin Academy in Malone, New York. He taught school and moved to

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, in 1836, where he studied law.

Career

He moved to Manchester, Michigan, in 1838, where he was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

and commenced practice in 1839. In 1841, he moved to

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 ...

to practice law, then moved to

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has frequently been used as a given ...

. In 1843, he moved to

Adrian Adrian is a form of the Latin language, Latin given name Adrianus (given name), Adrianus or Hadrianus (disambiguation), Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria (river), Adria from the Venetic language, Venetic and ...

, having been appointed prosecuting attorney for Lenawee County. He served in that position until 1850. In Adrian, he formed a law practice with

Thomas M. Cooley Thomas McIntyre Cooley (January 6, 1824 – September 12, 1898) was the 25th Justice and a Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, between 1864 and 1885. Born in Attica, New York, he was father to Charles Cooley, a distinguished American so ...

, future Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. He was the city attorney of Adrian and a member of the convention that organized the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

"under the oaks" at Jackson in 1854. He was a delegate to the first

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1856, and was also mayor of Adrian in 1856 and judge of the probate court of Lenawee County from 1856 to 1860. Beaman was elected as a Republican candidate from

Michigan's 2nd congressional district Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States congressional district in Western Michigan. The current 2nd district contains much of Michigan's old 4th congressional district, and includes all of Manistee, Mason, Lake, Osceola, Cla ...

to the

for the Thirty-seventh and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1861, to March 3, 1871. Due to redistricting after the 1860 census, Beaman represented Michigan's 1st congressional district following the elections of 1862. During the Thirty-ninth Congress, he was chairman of the House Committee on Roads and Canals. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1870 and returned to Adrian where he resumed the practice of law. Beaman was again appointed a judge of probate court of Lenawee County in 1871, and was then elected to the same position in 1872, and re-elected in 1876. Due to ill health, Beaman declined appointment as

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Zachariah Chandler Zachariah Chandler (December 10, 1813 – November 1, 1879) was an American businessman, politician, one of the founders of the Republican Party, whose radical wing he dominated as a lifelong abolitionist. He was mayor of Detroit, a four-term sen ...

in 1879. He also declined appointments to the Michigan Supreme Court and as United States

Commissioner of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal government of the United States, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

. He died in Adrian on September 27, 1882, and is interred in Oakwood Cemetery there.

Personal life

Beaman married Mary Goodrich on May 10, 1841, in

Brockport, New York Brockport is a village in the Town of Sweden, with two tiny portions in the Town of Clarkson, in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 7,104 at the 2020 U.S. Census. The name is derived from Heil Brockway, an early settler. ...

. They had three children, Mary A. Beaman, Edward C. Beaman, and Roscoe W. Beaman. Note that Google Books misspells "Portraits" in the title.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beaman, Fernando 1814 births 1882 deaths People from Chester, Vermont American people of English descent Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Mayors of Adrian, Michigan Michigan state court judges People from Manchester, Michigan 19th-century American politicians People of Michigan in the American Civil War 19th-century American judges