John Brown Penington (December 20, 1825 – June 1, 1902) was an American lawyer and politician, from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party who served as Attorney General of Delaware and two terms as U. S. Representative from Delaware.

Early life and family

Penington was born near New Castle, Delaware and pursued academic courses in New Castle and Newark, Delaware. He graduated from Jefferson College at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He engaged in teaching in Indiana for several years, but then returned to Delaware. There he studied law, was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1857, and commenced the practice in Dover, Delaware.

Professional and political career

He was first a member of the

Delaware House of Representatives The Delaware State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal number of constituencies, each of whom is ...

in 1857 and then was clerk of the same Delaware House of Representatives in 1859, 1863, and 1871. He was a delegate to the renowned

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

s at

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

and

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in the

1860 Events January–March * January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...

election. In 1868, he was appointed

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the district of Delaware by President Andrew Johnson and served until 1872. He was appointed Delaware Attorney General by Governor Ponder in 1874 and served until 1879. Penington was elected as a Democrat to the 50th and 51st Congress, serving from March 4, 1887, to March 3, 1891. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1890 and resumed the practice of law at Dover.

Death and legacy

Penington died at Dover and is buried there in the Old Presbyterian Cemetery, on the grounds of the Delaware State Museum. Penington's last years were darkened by the murders of his daughters Elizabeth and Ida, by poisoned candy. It was sent to their home from San Francisco, California by

Cordelia Botkin Cordelia Botkin (1854 – March 7, 1910) was an American murderer who sent a box of poisoned candy to her ex-lover's wife. This was the first American prosecution for a crime which took place in two different jurisdictions, as Botkin had sent the ...

(an ex-lover of Elizabeth's husband, John Preston Dunning). The poison was traced back to her, and Penington lived long enough to know the crime would be brought home against the perpetrator.

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. U.S. Representatives took office March 4 and have a two-year term.

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States CongressFind a Grave

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a statewide historical institution with several buildings, including Old Town Hall and the Delaware History Muse ...

website
505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161 *

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

Library website
181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965 {{DEFAULTSORT:Penington, John 1825 births 1902 deaths People from New Castle, Delaware Washington & Jefferson College alumni Delaware lawyers Delaware Attorneys General United States Attorneys for the District of Delaware Burials in Dover, Delaware Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Delaware 19th-century American politicians