James Morgan Humphrey (September 21, 1819 – February 9, 1899) was an American lawyer 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

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 * '' ...

from 1865 to 1869.

Early life and education

Born in

Holland, New York Holland is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 3,401 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from the Holland Land Company, the original title-holder to most of the land of Western New York. Holland is one of the ...

, Humphrey attended the common schools. Then he studied law, was admitted to the New York bar in 1847, and commenced practice in

East Aurora East Aurora is a village in Erie County, New York, United States, southeast of Buffalo. It lies in the eastern half of the town of Aurora. The village population was 5,998 per the 2020 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Met ...

Political career

He was District Attorney of Erie County from January 1, 1857, to December 31, 1859, and a 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 ...

(31st d.) in

1864 Events January–March * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song " ...

and

1865 Events January–March * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at Broad Street (Manhattan), 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War : Sec ...

Congress

Humphrey was elected as a

Democrat 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 ...

to the 39th and 40th congresses, holding office from March 4, 1865, to March 3, 1869.

Later career and death

He was appointed to the Superior court of Buffalo, New York, in 1871 and served until January 1, 1873. Afterwards he resumed the practice of law until 1894, when he retired. He died in Buffalo, New York, on February 9, 1899, and was buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Humphrey, James M. 1819 births 1899 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Buffalo, New York Erie County District Attorneys New York (state) state court judges Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American legislators Lawyers from Buffalo, New York 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century New York (state) politicians