James La Fayette Evans (March 27, 1825 – May 28, 1903) was an American businessman and politician who served two terms as 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

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1875 to 1879.

Biography

Born in Clayville,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, Evans moved to Indiana, with his parents, who settled in Hancock County in 1837. He moved to

Marion, Indiana Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 United States Census. The city is the county seat of Grant County. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from South Carolina in the ...

, in 1845 and engaged in mercantile pursuits. He settled in

Noblesville Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, a part of the north Indianapolis suburbs along the White River. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the state's 14th largest city/town ...

in 1850 and continued mercantile pursuits. He also engaged in the grain-elevator business and in the pork-packing business.

Congress

Evans 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 Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1875 - March 3, 1879). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1878. He resumed the grain-elevator business.

Death

He died in

Noblesville, Indiana Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, a part of the north Indianapolis suburbs along the White River (Indiana), White River. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 Unite ...

on May 28, 1903, aged 78, and was interred in Crownland Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, James Lafayette 1825 births 1903 deaths People from Harrison County, Kentucky American people of Welsh descent People from Noblesville, Indiana People from Hancock County, Indiana People from Marion, Indiana 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American businesspeople Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 19th-century American merchants