John Ashley Griswold (November 18, 1822 – February 22, 1902) was an attorney, judge and politician from

Catskill, New York Catskill is a town in the southeastern section of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,298 at the 2020 census, the largest town in the county. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park. The town contains a v ...

. He was most notable for his service as 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 1869 to 1871.

Early life

Griswold was born in

Cairo, New York Cairo is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 6,644 at the 2020 census. The town is in the southern part of the county, partly in the Catskill Park. The town contains a hamlet, also named Cairo. History The fi ...

on November 18, 1822, the son of Stephen H. and Phoebe ( Ashley) Griswold. Griswold attended the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary o ...

s, and the academies in Prattsville and

Career

He taught school and then studied law with his uncle, Addison C. Griswold, and Richard Corning, a brother of

Erastus Corning Erastus Corning (December 14, 1794 – April 9, 1872) was an American businessman and politician from Albany, New York. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service as mayor of Albany from 1834 to 1837, in the New York State Senate from 1842 ...

. Griswold was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1848, after which he commenced practice in Greene County. 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 ...

in politics, Griswold served as

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

of Greene County from 1856 to 1859, and as county judge from 1863 to 1867. Griswold was elected as to the Forty-first Congress (March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1871). He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1870 and resumed the practice of law. Griswold was elected

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

of Catskill in 1871, and served one term. He served as member of the State constitutional convention in 1894.

Personal life

In 1857, Griswold married Elizabeth M. Roberts of

Clintondale, New York Clintondale is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 1,452 at the 2010 census. Clintondale is located at the northern town line of the Town of Plattekill. The community is on US Rout ...

. She died in 1896. He died of "old age" in Catskill on February 22, 1902. He was interred in Catskill Village Cemetery.

References

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External links

John Ashley Griswold
at The Political Graveyard {{DEFAULTSORT:Griswold, John Ashley 1822 births 1902 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) New York (state) state court judges People from Cairo, New York 19th-century American legislators Griswold family 19th-century American judges