George Helm Yeaman (November 1, 1829 – February 23, 1908) was an American politician who served as a

U.S. 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 c ...

from Kentucky, and as

U.S. Ambassador to Denmark The first representative from the United States to Denmark was appointed in 1827 as a Chargé d'Affaires. There followed a series of chargés and ministers until 1890 when the first full ambassador ''(Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipoten ...

Early life and education

Yeaman was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, the son of Lucretia Sneed (Helm) and Steven Minor Yeaman. Yeaman completed preparatory studies and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1852 and commenced practice in

Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

. He served as judge of Daviess County in 1854, and served as member of the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form ...

in 1861.

Career

Yeaman was elected as a Unionist to the Thirty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James S. Jackson. He was reelected to the Thirty-eighth Congress and served from December 1, 1862, to March 3, 1865. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1864 to the Thirty-ninth Congress. He provided a critical vote for passing the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolishing slavery through the US House of Representatives. Yeaman served as the United States Minister to Denmark from 1865 to 1870. He resigned in 1870 and settled in New York City. He then served as a lecturer on constitutional law at Columbia College. He served as president of the Medico-Legal Society of New York. Yeaman died in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Madison, New Jersey. Yeaman was a slave owner.

In film

In the 2012 film, '' Lincoln'', Yeaman was played by Michael Stuhlbarg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeaman, George Helm 1829 births 1908 deaths People from Hardin County, Kentucky Kentucky Unionists Unionist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky Ambassadors of the United States to Denmark 19th-century American diplomats LaRue family 19th-century American politicians Members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky