James McSherry (July 29, 1776 – February 3, 1849), was an American politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

who served as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

member of 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 ...

for

Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district Pennsylvania's fifth congressional district encompasses all of Delaware County, an exclave of Chester County, a small portion of southern Montgomery County and a section of southern Philadelphia. Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon represents the distri ...

from 1821 to 1823.CongBio
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Early life and education

McSherry was born in

Littlestown, Pennsylvania Littlestown is a borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,434 at the 2010 census. Originally laid out by Peter Klein in 1760, the town was first named "Petersburg". German settlers in the area came to call the t ...

, to Irish immigrant Patrick McSherry and was educated at the Lancaster Academy.

Military service

He fought in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

in the defense of

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Business career

He was a founder of the Littlestown Railroad and the Gettysburg National Bank.

Political career

He served in the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

(1807–1812). He served as a member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

for the 11th district from 1813 to 1817 and was the first

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

state senator in Pennsylvania. He was a delegate to the Pennsylvania State Constitutional Convention in 1837 and 1838. In 1821, he was elected by the

party to the Seventeenth

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

(1821–1823). Defeated in his re-election bid, he returned to the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives (1824–1830; 1834 and 1835).

Death and legacy

He died on February 3, 1849, and is interred at the Saint Aloysius Cemetery in Littlestown, Pennsylvania. His son, James McSherry Jr. was a lawyer and writer best known for his "History of Maryland". His grandson, James McSherry became chief judge of the supreme court U.S. State of Maryland Court of Appeals. The town of

McSherrystown, Pennsylvania McSherrystown is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,077 as of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. McSherrystown was home to the headquarters of T ...

, is named in honor of his family.

Sources

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:McSherry, James 1776 births 1849 deaths 19th-century American politicians Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania state senators People from Littlestown, Pennsylvania People from Pennsylvania in the War of 1812