James Sullivan Wiley (January 22, 1808 – December 21, 1891) was 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

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

Life

Born in Mercer, Massachusetts (now in

), Wiley moved to

Bethel, Maine Bethel is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,504 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Bethel and West Bethel. The town is home to Gould Academy, a private preparatory school, and is near the Sun ...

, in 1826 then attended Gould Academy and graduated from

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...

, in 1836. He moved to Dover, Maine, and was an instructor at the Foxcroft Academy. He studied law and was admitted to the

Piscataquis County Piscataquis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,800, making it Maine's least-populous county. Its county seat is Dover-Foxcroft. The county was incorporated on March 23, 1838, ta ...

bar in 1839 and commenced practice in Dover. Wiley 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 Thirtieth Congress (March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849). He resumed the practice of law in Dover. He moved to

Fryeburg, Maine Fryeburg is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,369 at the 2020 census. Fryeburg is home to Fryeburg Academy, a semi-private preparatory school, and the International Musical Arts Institute. The town is also s ...

, in 1889 and continued the practice of law until his death in that town on December 21, 1891. He was interred in Smart Hill Cemetery. Wiley's 1849 home in Dover-Foxcroft is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

References

Speech of Hon. James S. Wiley, of Maine, on the acquisition of territory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiley, James Sullivan 1808 births 1891 deaths Colby College alumni People from Fryeburg, Maine People from Dover-Foxcroft, Maine People from Mercer, Maine Maine lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine 19th-century American legislators People from Bethel, Maine 19th-century American lawyers