John Charles Churchill (January 17, 1821 – June 4, 1905) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

John C. Churchill was born in

Mooers, New York Mooers is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 3,592 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Benjamin Mooers, an early settler. The town forms part of the northern border of Clinton County and is northwest of ...

on January 17, 1821. He attended the Burr Seminary,

Manchester, Vermont Manchester is a town in, and one of two shire towns (county seats) of, Bennington County, Vermont. The population was 4,484 at the 2020 census. Manchester Village, an incorporated village, and Manchester Center are settlement centers within ...

, and graduated from

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

in 1843. He was a teacher of languages in the Castleton Seminary, and a tutor in Middlebury College. He attended the Dane Law School of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. He 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 1847 and commenced practice in

Oswego, New York Oswego () is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in Upstate New York, about 35 miles (55km) northwest of Syracuse. It promotes itself as "The Port C ...

, in 1848. He married Catharine Sprague on September 11, 1849, and they had four children. He was a member of the Oswego Board of Education from 1853 to 1856, a Supervisor of Oswego County in 1854 and 1855, District Attorney from 1857 to 1860, and judge of the Oswego County Court from 1861 to 1864. He was appointed by Governor Morgan commissioner to superintend the draft for Oswego County in 1862 and 1863. Churchill was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the 40th and

41st United States Congress The 41st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1869, ...

es, and served from March 4, 1867 to March 3, 1871. He was Chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings (41st Congress). He introduced bill H.R. 2634 on January 9, 1871 that would amend the

Enforcement Act of 1870 The Enforcement Act of 1870, also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1870 or First Ku Klux Klan Act, or Force Act (41st Congress, Sess. 2, ch. 114, , enacted May 31, 1870, effective 1871) was a United States federal law that empowered the President ...

. The amendment would add an enforcement mechanism to the act. The bill would be enacted as the

Second Enforcement Act of 1871 The Enforcement Act of 1871 (), also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, Third Enforcement Act, Third Ku Klux Klan Act, Civil Rights Act of 1871, or Force Act of 1871, is an Act of the United States Congress which empowered the President to suspend t ...

by Congress in February 1871 and signed into law by

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Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

on February 28, 1871. He was a delegate to the

1876 Republican National Convention The 1876 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at the Exposition Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 14–16, 1876. President Ulysses S. Grant had considered seeking a third term, but with various scandals, a p ...

. In

1877 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sio ...

, he ran for

Secretary of State of New York The secretary of state of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York who leads the New York State Department of State, Department of State (NYSDOS). The current secretary of state of New York ...

, but was defeated by Democrat Allen C. Beach. He was President of the Oswego Board of Education in 1879 and 1880. On January 17, 1881, he was appointed a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

to fill a vacancy. He was subsequently elected to a full fourteen-year term, and remained in office until the end of 1891 when he reached the constitutional age limit of 70 years. He died in Oswego on June 4, 1905, and was buried at the Riverside Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Churchill, John Charles 1821 births 1905 deaths Middlebury College alumni Harvard Law School alumni People from Mooers, New York People from Oswego County, New York Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians Oswego County District Attorneys