James Farnsworth Pierce (April 8, 1830 in Madrid, St. Lawrence County, New York – July 8, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York City) was an American lawyer and politician from

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 * '' ...

Life

He was the son of Caleb Pierce, M.D. (1799–1887) and Sarah Emily (Farnsworth) Pierce (1807–1865). He studied law, first in Potsdam, then with

Job Pierson Job Pierson (September 23, 1791 – April 9, 1860) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from New York (state), New York from 1831 to 1835. Biography Born in ...

in Troy; was admitted to the bar in Albany in 1851; and, going south to recover from lung disease, commenced practice in

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

in partnership with

Isaac H. Bronson Isaac Hopkins Bronson (October 16, 1802 – August 13, 1855) was a United States representative from New York (state), New York and a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District o ...

. In 1856, he returned to New York, and resumed the practice of law at

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

. He married Anna Maria Redington (1835–1904), and they had six children. He was Clerk of St. Lawrence County from 1862 to 1864. In 1865, he moved to New York City, and the next year to Brooklyn. He was a

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

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 ...

(2nd D.) from 1868 to 1871, sitting in the 91st, 92nd, 93rd and 94th New York State Legislatures. He was again a member of the State Senate in

1878 Events January–March * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Battle o ...

and

1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...

; and again from 1886 to 1889, sitting in the 109th, 110th, 111th and

112th New York State Legislature The 112th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to May 16, 1889, during the fifth year of David B. Hill's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provision ...

s. He was Superintendent of Insurance from 1891 to 1897. He died of "paralysis" at his home at 7 Montague Terrace, in Brooklyn, and was buried at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Family

James F. Pierce was a fourth cousin twice removed of President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

, their common ancestor being Thomas Pierce (1618–1683).

References

Sources

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1870; pg. 444 and 547)
''Life Sketches of the State Officers, Senators, and Members of the Assembly of the State of New York in 1868''
by S. R. Harlow & S. C. Hutchins (pg. 136ff)
Pierce genealogy
at RootsWeb
''UNFIT FOR PUBLIC OFFICE; JAMES F. PIERCE CANDIDATE FOR A POSITION OF TRUST''
in NYT on February 8, 1891
''HILL'S MAN TAKES HOLD; PIERCE IN THE OFFICE of SUPERINTENDENT OF INSURANCE''
in NYT on February 20, 1891
''A FAITHFUL OFFICER REWARDED; Superintendent of Insurance Pierce Confirmed for a Second Term''
in NYT on February 28, 1894 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, James F 1830 births 1905 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators People from Madrid, New York People from St. Augustine, Florida Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery People from Potsdam, New York 19th-century American legislators 19th-century New York (state) politicians