John Freedley (May 22, 1793 – December 8, 1851) was an American politician, lawyer, and businessman who served in the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1847 to 1851, representing the 5th congressional district of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

as a member of the Whig Party.

Early life and education

John Freedley was born in

Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a municipality with home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the 7 ...

on May 22, 1793 to Henry Freedley and Catharine Isett. He attended public schools and

Norristown Academy Norristown Academy was a private preparatory academy established in 1805 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Many prominent people have been educated there, including Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, Governor David Rittenhouse Porter, James Madison ...

. Freedley studied law. Freedley served as an assistant to his father, who operated a brickyard.

Career

Freedley was admitted to the bar in 1820; he commenced practice in Norristown. He also operated a marble quarry, which he sold in 1844. Freedley served in the

from 1847 to 1851, representing the 5th congressional district of

as a member of the Whig Party. He served in the

30th United States Congress The 30th 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, 1847, ...

and the

31st United States Congress The 31st 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, 1849, ...

. During his time in office, Freedley served on the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions. Freedley's time in office began on March 4, 1847 and concluded on March 3, 1851. He was preceded by Jacob S. Yost and succeeded by John McNair. Following his tenure in Congress, Freedley opened a soapstone quarry along the Schuylkill River in Whitemarsh Township, which he operated until his death.

Death

Freedley died at the age of 58 in Norristown on December 8, 1851. He was interred at Montgomery Cemetery, located in West Norriton Township.

References

External links

Official page
at the ''

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates from ...

''
Profile
from GovTrack
John Freedley
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...

John Freedley
at

Find a Grave Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fin ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freedley, John 1793 births 1851 deaths 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American businesspeople Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Businesspeople from Pennsylvania People from Norristown, Pennsylvania Burials in Pennsylvania