Glenni William Scofield (March 11, 1817 – August 30, 1891) was 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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, Pennsylvania State Representative, Pennsylvania State Senator,

Register of the Treasury The Register of the Treasury was an officer of the United States Treasury Department. In 1919, the office of the Register became the Public Debt Service which, in 1940, became the Bureau of the Public Debt. The Register's duties included filing the ...

and a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the Court of Claims.

Education and career

Born on March 11, 1817, in Dewittville, Chautauqua County,

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 * '' ...

, Scofield attended the common schools and learned the printing trade. He returned to classical study and graduated from

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

in 1840 and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

with Carlton Brandaga Curtis in

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

in 1842, briefly engaging in teaching while studying law. He entered private practice in Warren from 1842 to 1846. He was district attorney for

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

, Pennsylvania from 1846 to 1848. He was a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1849 to 1851. He resumed private practice in Warren circa 1851 to circa 1857. He changed his partisan affiliation from anti-slavery Democratic to

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in 1856. He served in the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

for the 19th district from 1857 to 1858 and for the 11th district from 1859 to 1860. He was President Judge of the

Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas In Pennsylvania, the courts of common pleas are the trial courts of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania (the state court system). The courts of common pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state. The name derives from ...

for the Eighteenth Judicial District from 1861 to 1863.

Congressional service

Scofield was elected from

Pennsylvania's 19th congressional district Pennsylvania's 19th congressional district was a congressional district that became obsolete for the 113th Congress in 2013, due to Pennsylvania's slower population growth compared to the rest of the nation. In its last incarnation, the district ...

and later

Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district The U.S. state of Pennsylvania elected its United States representatives at-large on a general ticket for the first and third United States Congresses. General ticket representation was prohibited by the 1842 Apportionment Bill and subsequent legi ...

as a Republican to 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 ...

of the

38th United States Congress The 38th 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, 1863, ...

and to the five succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1875. He served as Chairman of the

United States House Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

for the

39th United States 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, ...

and Chairman of the

United States House Committee on Naval Affairs The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of Def ...

for the 41st,

42nd 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

and

43rd United States Congress The 43rd 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, 1873, ...

es. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1874.

Scandal

Scofield was caught up in the scandal involving Congressman

Oakes Ames Oakes Ames (January 10, 1804 – May 8, 1873) was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. As a congressman, he is credited by many historians as being ...

who was censured for selling shares in Credit Mobilier at greatly reduced prices to fellow congressman. Ames had sold shares in Cedar Rapids stock bonds to Scofield and recommended he purchase shares in Credit Mobilier but the contract for the sale was never completed.

Later career

Following his departure from Congress, Scofield returned to private practice in Warren from 1875 to 1878. He was appointed as the

for the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

by President

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...

, serving from 1878 to 1881.

Federal judicial service

Scofield was nominated by President

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

on May 19, 1881, to a seat on the Court of Claims (later the

United States Court of Claims The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims (), and abolished in 1982. Then, its jurisdiction was assumed by the n ...

) vacated by Judge William H. Hunt. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

on May 20, 1881, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on July 29, 1891, due to his resignation.

Personal life

Scofield's brother was Bryant T. Scofield, a politician in Illinois. Scofield died on August 30, 1891, in Warren. He was interred in Oakland Cemetery in Warren.

References

Sources

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scofield, Glenni William 1817 births 1891 deaths 19th-century American judges 19th-century American legislators Burials in Pennsylvania County district attorneys in Pennsylvania Hamilton College (New York) alumni Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas Judges of the United States Court of Claims Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania Democrats Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania state senators People from Chautauqua, New York People from Warren County, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania United States Article I federal judges appointed by James A. Garfield United States Department of the Treasury officials