James Milnor (June 20, 1773
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
– April 8, 1845
Manhattan, New York
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
) was a 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 ...
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, ...
for two years (1811–1813), a lawyer for 16 years (1794 to 1810), and an Episcopal priest for years (from mid-1814 to 1845).
Education & career
Milnor attended public grammar school in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
and the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
at Philadelphia, but initially did not graduate. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1794 and commenced practice in
Norristown, Pennsylvania. He moved to Philadelphia in 1797 and continued the practice of his profession. He was a member of the
Philadelphia Common Council in 1800, a member of the Select Council from 1805 to 1810 and served as president in 1808 and 1809. On July 29, 1819, the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
conferred on Milnor the degree of
Doctor of Divinity. Milnor had begun studying divinity with
Bishop William White while in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
In October 1810, Milnor, a
Federalist, was elected to represent the First Congressional District of Pennsylvania, in the
Twelfth Congress. After his time in Congress, he studied
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
and was ordained as a minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church. In 1814 he was appointed assistant minister of
St. Peter's Church in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
and in 1816, he was elected rector of
St. George's Chapel in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, a capacity he served in until his death in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
in 1845. Among his parishioners was
Mary Simpson, an African-American grocer who lived on John Street. Milnor was
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 ...
in
Greenwood Cemetery,
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
Affiliations
In 1798, Milnor had been an officer of
Pennsylvania Society
The Pennsylvania Society is an annual weekend retreat for Pennsylvania's politicians and business leaders held in New York City. It began during the late 19th century as a meeting of Pennsylvanians living in New York City who gathered annually be ...
, which at the time, was waging a movement to abolish slavery.
Family
James Milnor was married, on 28 February 1799, to Eleanor Pawling, daughter of Henry Pawling and Rebecca Bull.
James Milnor was the brother of
William Milnor
William Milnor (June 26, 1769 – December 13, 1848) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania and Mayor of Philadelphia.
William Milnor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He engaged in mercantile pursuit ...
, also a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
References
General references
----
Inline citations
----
Biographical note
* Many biographical sources wrongly state that Milnor died in 1844, an error that has been widely replicated. With the advent of digitization of historical newspapers, we now know that he died on the same date, but in 1845.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milnor, James
University of Pennsylvania alumni
Pennsylvania lawyers
1773 births
1845 deaths
19th-century American Episcopal priests
Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery
American abolitionists
Politicians from Philadelphia
Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Christian abolitionists
19th-century American lawyers