John George Jackson (September 22, 1777 – March 28, 1825) was a

United States 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 ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (in case citations, W.D. Va.) is a United States district court. Appeals from the Western District of Virginia are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth ...

Education and career

Born on September 22, 1777, near

Buckhannon Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States, and is located along the Buckhannon River. The population was 5,299 at the 2020 United States Census ...

(now

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

), Jackson moved with his parents to Clarksburg, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1784, receiving an English training and becoming a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

. He was a surveyor of the public lands west of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

from 1796 to 1798. He

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in 1801. He was a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

from 1798 to 1801, and from 1811 to 1812. He was in private practice in Clarksburg from 1801 to 1803, and from 1817 to 1819.

Congressional and militia service

Jackson was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

from

Virginia's 1st congressional district Virginia's first congressional district is a United States congressional district in the commonwealth of Virginia. It is a district split between a suburban north and rural south. Virginian politicians now sometimes refer to it as "America's F ...

to 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 ...

of the

8th United States Congress The 8th 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, 1803, ...

and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1803, to September 28, 1810, when he resigned. While in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

, he fought a duel with

United States 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Joseph Pearson of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, and on the second fire was wounded in the hip. He was a brigadier general of the Virginia Militia in 1812. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican from Virginia's 1st congressional district to the United States House of Representatives of the 13th and

14th United States Congress The 14th 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 the Old Brick Capitol in Washingto ...

es, serving from March 4, 1813, to March 3, 1817. He declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1816 to the

15th United States Congress The 15th 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 the Old Brick Capitol in Washington, ...

Federal judicial service

Jackson was nominated by President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

on February 20, 1819, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 3 Stat. 478. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on February 24, 1819, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 28, 1825, due to his death in Clarksburg. He was interred in the Old Jackson Cemetery in Clarksburg.

Family

Jackson was the son of George Jackson, a United States Representative from Virginia, the brother of

Edward B. Jackson Edward Brake Jackson (January 25, 1793 – September 8, 1826) was a U.S. Representative from Virginia, son of George Jackson and brother of John G. Jackson. Biography Born in Clarksburg, Virginia (now West Virginia), Jackson attended Randol ...

, a United States Representative from Virginia, and the grandfather of

William Thomas Bland William Thomas Bland (January 21, 1861 – January 15, 1928) was an American lawyer and businessman born in what became West Virginia during the American Civil War and who served as a U.S. Representative from Missouri. Early life William Thoma ...

, a United States Representative from

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. Prior to marriage, Jackson had a son, General John J. Jackson, the father of

John Jay Jackson Jr. John Jay Jackson Jr. (August 4, 1824 – September 2, 1907) was an American lawyer, Whig party (United States), Whig politician, United States federal judge, United States District Judge (initially of the United States District Court for the Weste ...

Jackson's first wife Mary "Polly" Payne was the youngest sister of

Dolley Madison Dolley Todd Madison (née Payne; May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was the wife of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. She was noted for holding Washington social functions in which she invited members of bo ...

- they were married in 1800. She died in 1808 of tuberculosis. Jackson continued to correspond with Dolley Madison after the death of his wife and her sister. On June 11, 1810, shortly before he married Mary Sophia Meigs, the daughter of

Return J. Meigs Jr. Return Jonathan Meigs Jr. (; November 17, 1764March 29, 1825) was a Democratic-Republican Party, Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the fourth governor of Ohio, fifth United States Postmaster General, and as a United States ...

, he wrote Dolley that his new wife "is about the size of our dear Mary, ndmuch such a person."

Theater fire

On December 26, 1811, Jackson escaped a deadly fire that swept through a theater in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, Virginia, killing, among others,

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

William Smith.

Elections

*1803; Jackson was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating Federalist Thomas Wilson. *1805; Jackson was re-elected with 57.21% of the vote, defeating Wilson. *1807; Jackson was re-elected with 58.89% of the vote, defeating Federalist Noah Winsly. *1809; Jackson was re-elected with 60.26% of the vote, defeating Linsly. *1813; Jackson was re-elected with 60.21% of the vote, defeating Wilson. *1815; Jackson was re-elected unopposed.

Biographies

Two books have been written about Jackson's life.;

References

Sources

* * Hon. Armistead M. Dobie, "Federal District Judges in Virginia before the Civil War," 12 F.R.D. 451 (1951,1952) (viewed on Westlaw) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, John George 1777 births 1825 deaths Virginia lawyers Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia United States federal judges appointed by James Monroe 19th-century American judges Politicians from Clarksburg, West Virginia Jackson family of West Virginia People from Buckhannon, West Virginia American duellists Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Lawyers from Clarksburg, West Virginia