James Wadsworth (August 25, 1819 – May 18, 1891) was
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of the City of
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, serving 1851–1852.
Early life
Wadsworth was born in
Durham, Connecticut
Durham is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Durham is a former farming village on the Coginchaug River in central Connecticut. The population was 7,152 at the 2020 United Stat ...
on August 25, 1819 to Wedworth Wadsworth, Jr. (1782–1860) and Content (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Scranton) Wadsworth (1783–1839). His elder brothers included Wedworth Wadsworth (1811-1874) and William Wadsworth (c. 1817-1870), the Durham Town Clerk and Justice of the Peace. Wadsworth graduated from
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
in 1841.
Family
His paternal grandfather, John Noyes Wadsworth II (1758–1814) was the elder brother of William Wadsworth (1765–1833) and James Wadsworth (1768–1844), who settled in and founded Geneseo. Their father, John Noyes Wadsworth (1732–1817) was the younger brother of James Wadsworth (1730–1816), a Brigadier General in the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
and later an
anti-Federalist
Anti-Federalism was a late-18th century political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed History of the United States Constitution#1788 ratification, the ratification of the 1787 United St ...
during the ratification of the
U.S. Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...
in Connecticut. They were all members of the prominent
Wadsworth Wadsworth may refer to:
People
* Wadsworth (surname)
* Wadsworth (given name)
Places
* Wadsworth, Illinois, United States, a village
* Wadsworth, Kansas, United States
* Wadsworth, Nevada, United States, a census-designated place
* Wadswo ...
family of Connecticut, descended from William Wadsworth (1594–1675), one of the
Founders of Hartford, Connecticut
The History of Hartford, Connecticut has occupied a central place in Connecticut's history from the state's origins to the present, as well as the greater history of the United States of America.
Founders
Here is a partial list of the 163 men and ...
who under, the leadership of Pastor
Thomas Hooker
Thomas Hooker (July 5, 1586 – July 7, 1647) was a prominent English colonial leader and Congregational minister, who founded the Connecticut Colony after dissenting with Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. He was known as an outstanding spea ...
, helped found that city in June 1636.
Career
After graduating from Yale in 1841, he moved to Buffalo. In 1843, he moved back to
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
, and for two years studied literature and then law.
In 1845, he returned to Buffalo, and established the law firm of Wadsworth & Cameron. He became involved in real estate and purchased land from Judge
Ebenezer Walden
Ebenezer Walden (1777–1857) was mayor of Buffalo, New York, serving in 1838–1839. He was born in 1777 in Massachusetts. In 1799, he graduated from Williams College, then made his way to Oneida County, New York where he studied law. In 1806, h ...
. In 1850, he was chosen Buffalo city attorney. On March 4, 1851, was elected as the
Locofoco
The Locofocos (also Loco Focos or Loco-focos) were a faction of the Democratic Party in American politics that existed from 1835 until the mid-1840s.
History
The faction, originally named the Equal Rights Party, was created in New York City as a ...
candidate for mayor. During his term, the
New York and Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...
was completed from New York to
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.
In 1851, Wadsworth became president of the Buffalo, Brantford and Goderich Railroad and continued this after his mayoral term ended. He was a Democratic member of the
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate.
Partisan com ...
(31st D.) from 1856 to 1858, sitting in the 79th, 80th and
81st New York State Legislature
The 81st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to April 19, 1858, during the second year of John A. King's governorship, in Albany.
Background
Under the provisio ...
s. He resigned his seat on August 18, 1858.
Later career
In 1859, he removed to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and for the next 25 years he was engaged in "various railway, mining, and oil companies." He worked for Wells & Fargo's Overland Express, and practiced law part of the time. He also served as chairman of the Loyal League of Union Citizens during the
U.S. Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
Personal life
On September 8, 1845, he married Rosetta F. Robinson. Together, they were the parents of six children, including:
* Wedworth Wadsworth (1846–1926), a painter and author.
* Augustus Henry Wadsworth (1850–1861)
* Rose Frances Wadsworth (1856–1939)
* Hannah Wadsworth (b. 1856)
* James Wadsworth, Jr. (b. 1860)
After her death in 1866, he remarried to Virginia C. Conklin of
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
on July 9, 1873. Around 1889, he was placed in an institution in
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...
where died May 18, 1891, and was buried at Durham, Connecticut.