George Newell Southwick (March 7, 1863 – October 17, 1912) was an American journalist and politician from Albany, New York. A Republican, he was most notable for his service 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 1895 to 1911.

Early life

George N. Southwick was born in Albany, New York on March 7, 1863, the son of Henry Collins Southwick and Margaret Julia (Fraser) Southwick. His extended family had been prominent in newspaper publishing and printing for several generations, and included Solomon Southwick (1773-1839) and Solomon Southwick (1731-1897). Southwick attended Albany's School Number 6 as well as private schools in the city, and he graduated from Albany High School in 1879. He then attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, from which he graduated in 1884. He attended the Albany Law School, but left before graduating so he could begin a career in journalism.

Start of career

In 1885, Southwick began work as a reporter for the Albany ''Morning Express''. From 1886 to 1888, he covered the state legislature for the Associated Press. In 1888 he became managing editor of Albany's ''Morning Express''. In 1889 he was appointed managing editor of the Albany ''Evening Journal'', where he worked until 1895. Southwick was also active in politics as a Republican and contributed numerous magazine and newspaper articles in support of Republican candidates. He supported

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for president in 1884, and Benjamin Harrison in 1888, and gave speeches on their behalf throughout

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 * '' ...

. Southwick was a longtime friend of party leaders

William Barnes Jr. William Barnes Jr. (November 17, 1866 – June 25, 1930) was an American journalist and politician. The longtime owner and publisher of the ''Albany Evening Journal'', Barnes was most notable as a major behind the scenes player in state and ...

and

James S. Sherman James Schoolcraft Sherman (October 24, 1855 – October 30, 1912) was an American politician who was a United States representative from New York from 1887 to 1891 and 1893 to 1909, and the 27th vice president of the United States under President ...

, which aided his entry into elective office.

Continued career

In 1892, South was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Representative from New York's 20th District. In 1894, he was elected to the

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. He was reelected to the 55th Congresses and served from March 4, 1895 to March 3, 1899. In 1896, Southwick was chairman of the Republican State convention. He was a candidate for reelection to Congress in 1898, and lost to

Martin H. Glynn Martin Henry Glynn (September 27, 1871December 14, 1924) was an American politician. He was the 40th Governor of New York from 1913 to 1914, the first Irish American Roman Catholic head of government of what was then the most populated state of ...

. In 1900, Southwick defeated Glynn for election to the

57th Congress The 57th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1901, to ...

. Following redistricting after the 1900 census, Southwick was reelected four times from the 23rd District. He served from March 4, 1901 to March 3, 1911, and was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1910. Southwick was chairman of the

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from the 58th through 60th Congresses.

Retirement and death

Southwick invested profitably during his career, and his holdings included real estate in Washington, D.C. and mining properties in Essex County, New York. In retirement, he continued to reside in Albany. He died in Albany on October 17, 1912 and was buried at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands.

Family

Southwick never married and had no children. His sister Effie was the wife of

Ralph W. Thomas Ralph Wilmer Thomas (June 11, 1862 – March 25, 1920) was an American politician, author, professor and librarian from New York. Life Thomas was born in Cornwallis, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada. He graduated from Colgate University, then ...

, a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Southwick, George Newell 1863 births 1912 deaths Albany Law School alumni Politicians from Albany, New York Williams College alumni Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians