Jacob Turney (February 18, 1825 – October 4, 1891) was an American lawyer and politician 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, ...

who served as a Democratic member of the

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Pennsylvania's 21st congressional district Pennsylvania's twenty-first congressional district was a congressional district in northwestern Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Nor ...

from 1875 to 1879. He also served as a member of the

Pennsylvania 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 22nd district from 1858 to 1860.

Early life and education

Turney was born in

Greensburg, Pennsylvania Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city lies within the Laurel Highlands and the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau (ecoregion), W ...

to Dutch immigrants Jacob, Sr. and Margaret (Singer) Turney. He completed preparatory studies and attended Greensburg Academy. He apprenticed as a printer and worked as a deputy sheriff and clerk in the register and recorder's office. He studied law under Albert Marchand, was admitted to the bar in 1849 and commenced practice in Greensburg.

Career

He served as

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

for

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Westmoreland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 364,663. The county seat is Greensburg. Formed from, successively, Lancaster, Northumberland, and later Bedford co ...

, from 1850 to 1855. He gained prominence through the successful prosecution of several high profile murder trials. He was a presidential elector in 1856 and cast his vote for

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

. He was a member of 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 22nd district from 1858 to 1860 and was elected president in 1859. He was an unsuccessful candidate for State Senator in 1871. Turney was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses. He served on the Privileges and Elections, Mines, Territories and Currencies Committees. He played a key role in the passage of the Bland-Allison Act which reintroduced the legality of silver currency. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law. He died in Greensburg in 1891 and was interred in St. Clair Cemetery.

Footnotes

Sources

The Political Graveyard
, - 1825 births 1891 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Burials in Pennsylvania County district attorneys in Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Greensburg, Pennsylvania Presidents pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub