James McLachlan (August 1, 1852 – November 21, 1940) was an American educator and politician who served six 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

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Early life

On August 1, 1852, McLachlan was born in Argyllshire,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. McLachlan immigrated to the United States in 1855 with his parents and settled in

Tompkins County, New York Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,740. The county seat is Ithaca. The name is in honor of Daniel D. Tompkins, who served as Governor of New York and Vice President ...

. McLachlan worked on a farm and attended the public schools.

Education

In 1878, McLachlan graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. McLachlan studied law.

Career

McLachlan was a teacher in the public schools. McLachlan was elected school commissioner of

, in 1877. He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of New York in 1880. McLachlan practiced law in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named ...

from 1881 to 1888. In 1888, McLachlan continued his law practice in Pasadena, California. In 1890, McLachlan served as District Attorney in Los Angeles County. McLachlan's term ended in 1892. On November 6, 1894 McLachlan 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 United States House, defeating

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 ...

George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...

. McLachlan served in the Fifty-fourth

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

(March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897). In 1896, McLachlan was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Fifty-fifth Congress. McLachlan was elected to the Fifty-seventh and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1911). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1910 to the Sixty-second Congress. He resumed the practice of his profession in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, served as a member of the National Monetary Commission in 1911 and 1912.

Personal life

In 1888, McLachlan moved to Pasadena, California. On November 21, 1940, McLachlan died in

. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

References

Additional sources