James Jerome Belden (September 30, 1825 – January 1, 1904) was an American politician and 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
New York.
Biography
Born in
Fabius, New York, Belden was the son of Royal Denison Belding and Olive Cadwell and attended the common schools. He married Mary Anna Gere and they had a daughter, Harriet Anna Belden. He lived in the luxurious ''Belden House'' at 620 W. Genesee St. in Syracuse.
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Career
After completing his education in local schools, Belden worked in a Jefferson County store to learn bookkeeping and accounting. He went into banking in
Syracuse, New York, in 1880. Later he was active in construction, completing many railroads and public works projects. He was also President of the company that published the Syracuse Post and was a hotel owner. In 1877 and 1878, he served as
mayor of Syracuse, New York.
Among his activities as mayor, he formed a committee of citizens to look after the interests of
St. Joseph's Hospital. He later left the hospital a bequest of $50,000.
Belden was elected as a
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 ...
to the
Fiftieth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
Frank Hiscock
Frank Hiscock (September 6, 1834June 18, 1914) was a U.S. Representative and Senator from New York. He served in the United States Congress from 1877 to 1893.
Hiscock was a native of Pompey, New York, and graduated from Pompey Academy. Af ...
, who had been elected to the office of United States Senator.
Reelected to the
Fifty-first and
Fifty-second Congresses, Belden served as U. S. Representative for the twenty-fifth district of New York from November 8, 1887, to March 3, 1893. He was then elected for the
Fifty-third Congress and served as U. S. Representative for the twenty-seventh district of New York from March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1895. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1894.
Again elected to the
Fifty-fifth Congress, Belden served as U. S. Representative for the twenty-seventh district of New York from March 4, 1897, to March 3, 1899. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1898, but retired to Syracuse.
Death
Belden died, of uremic poisoning, in
Syracuse, New York, on January 1, 1904 (age 78 years, 93 days). He is
interred
Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
at
Oakwood Cemetery (Syracuse, New York)
Oakwood Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in Syracuse, New York. It was designed by Howard Daniels and built in 1859. Oakwood Cemetery was created during a time period in the nineteenth century when the rural cemetery was becoming a dis ...
. When he died, he was Syracuse's richest citizen with his wealth being estimated at $10 million ($330 million in 2022 dollars
), according to an obituary in ''The Sheffield Observer'' on January 7, 1914.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belden, James Jerome
1825 births
1904 deaths
People from Fabius, New York
Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Syracuse, New York)
Mayors of Syracuse, New York
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
19th-century American politicians