James Findlay (October 12, 1770December 28, 1835) was an American merchant, politician and veteran of the War of 1812, having served with both the state militia and the United States Army. He was based in Cincinnati, Ohio after migrating there as a young man. He was elected as mayor of Cincinnati to two non-successive terms. For defenses in the War of 1812, he supervised construction of

Fort Findlay Fort Findlay was erected in northwestern Ohio in 1812 as part of United States defenses during the War of 1812. It was established by Col. James Findlay under the orders of General Hull, and named in honor of the colonel. The stockade-style fort h ...

, which was named for him. In 1824. he was elected to multiple terms in the US House of Representatives, serving from 1825-1833.

Early life

Findlay was born in Mercersburg in the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to W ...

, to Samuel Findlay and Jane Smith. He had two older brothers, John and William. All three brothers became politicians: John Findlay served in 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 ...

from Pennsylvania, and William Findlay served two separate periods as governor of Pennsylvania.

Career

fter their father suffered financial setbacks, Findlay moved to the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

in 1793 with his wife Jane Irwin (1769–1851). There, in partnership with John Smith, he soon became a leading merchant and influential in the young city of Cincinnati. He was elected to the legislature of the

in 1798. In 1802, he was appointed as the United States Marshal for the Northwest Territory. In 1800, Findlay was appointed as receiver of public money at the Cincinnati Public Land Office, as settlers arrived in the Northwest Territory seeking land. As such, he was the region's most visible federal official and a central figure in the business and politics of Cincinnati. After statehood, he was elected in 1804 as mayor of Cincinnati, serving into 1806. He was re-elected in 1810, serving through 1811. Findlay participated in the Ohio state militia, attaining the rank of brigadier general. In 1806 and 1807, Findlay helped to quash the Burr conspiracy. That required him to confront his partner Smith, an alleged conspirator. In the War of 1812, Findlay was commissioned as a colonel in the United States Army, and commanded the

2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry The 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Three-months regiment With the outbreak of the Civil War in the spring of 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers from each N ...

. He marched north with General William Hull. He opposed Hull's disastrous decision to surrender Detroit. Afterward Findlay was promoted to major general in the Ohio militia, and built

in 1812, which was named for him. Present-day Findlay, Ohio developed around it. Findlay was elected in 1824 to represent Ohio's 1st congressional district in the Nineteenth and

Twentieth 20 (twenty; Roman numeral XX) is the natural number following 19 and preceding 21. A group of twenty units may also be referred to as a score. In mathematics *20 is a pronic number. *20 is a tetrahedral number as 1, 4, 10, 20. *20 is the ...

Congresses. He was next elected as a

Jacksonian Democrat Jacksonian democracy was a 19th-century political philosophy in the United States that expanded suffrage to most white men over the age of 21, and restructured a number of federal institutions. Originating with the seventh U.S. president, Andr ...

to the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Congresses, serving in total from March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1833. Findlay eventually broke with the Jackson Democrats. He was defeated for reelection to the House in

1832 Events January–March * January 6 – Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison founds the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. * January 13 – The Christmas Rebellion of slaves is brought to an end in Jamaica, after the island's white plan ...

. As an

Anti-Jacksonian The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

, he lost a bid for

Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in 1834. He died in Cincinnati in 1835 and was buried at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati.

Legacy

*Fort Findlay was named for him, as he had directed its construction. *The

Findlay Market Findlay Market in historic Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, Ohio, is the state's oldest continuously operated public market. The Findlay Market Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on June 5, 1972. The market is the la ...

, is built on land donated to Cincinnati by the estate of General Findlay and his wife Jane Irwin Findlay.

References

*Andrew Cayton. "Findlay, James."

American National Biography Online The ''American National Biography'' (ANB) is a 24-volume biographical encyclopedia set that contains about 17,400 entries and 20 million words, first published in 1999 by Oxford University Press under the auspices of the American Council of Lea ...

, February 2000.
The Political Graveyard
Retrieved on 2010-01-01

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Findlay, James 1770 births 1835 deaths 19th-century American politicians American militia generals Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio Mayors of Cincinnati Members of the Ohio House of Representatives Northwest Territory House of Representatives Ohio National Republicans People from Mercersburg, Pennsylvania United States Army colonels United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 United States Marshals