James Thompson Farley (August 6, 1829January 22, 1886) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Senator from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Early life

He was born in

Albemarle County, Virginia Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Char ...

, and moved to

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

at an early age. Drawn by the discovery of gold and hastened by a duel in which he nearly killed a man who had been his rival for a woman's affections, Farley moved to

in 1849. He tried mining for gold in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties but had little success. As an alternative to the mining work, he studied law. Farley was admitted to the bar in 1854, commencing his law practice in

Amador County Amador County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,474. The county seat is Jackson. Amador County, located within California's Gold Country, is known as "The ...

Political career

He was elected to the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

from Amador County at the age of 25 as a member of the Whig Party. At the time, only five years after California had become a state and in accordance with the original

Constitution of California The Constitution of California ( es, Constitución de California) is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of California, describing the duties, powers, structures and functions of the government of California. California's original co ...

, members of the assembly were chosen annually. Farley ran for re-election in 1855, this time as a member of the

Know Nothing Party The Know Nothing party was a nativist political party and movement in the United States in the mid-1850s. The party was officially known as the "Native American Party" prior to 1855 and thereafter, it was simply known as the "American Party". ...

, which was in the majority of the legislature at the time. He again shifted allegiances to the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

following the collapse of the Know Nothing Party, remaining with the strong political contingent in the assembly and was elected to be Speaker of the Assembly in 1856. In 1860, he moved from the state assembly to the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...

where he served for eight years as a Democrat. He served as

president pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

for one session, from 1871 to 1872. He was a friend and spokesperson for the administration of Governor Haight. He was for several years the recognized leader of the

in California, and in 1874 received the caucus nomination of his party for the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of

John S. Hager John Sharpenstein Hager (March 12, 1818March 19, 1890) was an American politician from the state of California. He served in the U.S. Senate from 1873 to 1875. Life Hager was born near Morristown, New Jersey, on March 12, 1818. He completed pre ...

. However, his nomination was defeated by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Newton Booth Newton Booth (December 30, 1825July 14, 1892) was an American entrepreneur and politician. Early life Born to Hannah (née Pitts) of North Carolina and Beebe Booth

, an independent. Fortuitously, Senator

Aaron A. Sargent Aaron Augustus Sargent (September 28, 1827 – August 14, 1887) was an American journalist, lawyer, politician and diplomat. In 1878, Sargent historically introduced what would later become the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Con ...

retired three years later and Farley was again nominated, and this time elected to the U.S. Senate from California in 1878. He served there from 1879 until 1885. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1884. He resumed the practice of law after leaving

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, ...

, and died in

Jackson, California Jackson (formerly, Botilleas, Botilleas Spring, Bottileas, Bottle Spring, and Botellas) is a city in and the county seat of Amador County, California. Its population was 4,651 at the 2010 census, up from 3,989 at the 2000 census. The city is acc ...

in 1886 after three years of struggling with illness. He is buried in City Cemetery in Jackson.

Personal life

Farley was described as having a "fine appearance, warmth and congeniality of feelings." His law practice in Jackson served as a launching pad for other California politicians such as Judge Henry L. Waldo who became the district attorney of Amador County from 1867 until 1870, as well as Anthony Caminetti, who also became the district attorney of Amador County but later became a United States representative from California from 1891 to 1895. He was married in 1876 to "Miss Phelps of Amador County" and had two children, a boy and a girl.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farley, James Thompson 1829 births 1886 deaths Democratic Party United States senators from California Democratic Party California state senators Speakers of the California State Assembly Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly People from Amador County, California People from Albemarle County, Virginia 19th-century American politicians