John Hazard Reynolds (June 21, 1819September 24, 1875) was an American attorney 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 * '' ...

. He was most notable for his service as 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

, serving one term from 1859 to 1861.

Early life

John H. Reynolds was born in

Moreau, New York Moreau is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 13,826 at the 2000 census. The town is located in the northeast part of the county, north of Saratoga Springs. Moreau is named after Jean Victor Moreau, a French gen ...

on June 21, 1819, the fourth child of Luthena (Potter) Reynolds farmer and lumberman George Reynolds. He attended the public schools of Sandy Hill, New York (now

Hudson Falls Hudson Falls (formerly Sandy Hill) is a village located in Washington County, New York, United States. The village is in the southwest of the town of Kingsbury, on U.S. Route 4. Hudson Falls is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

) and

Bennington, Vermont Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 ...

. Reynolds engaged in civil engineering and took part in the construction of the Saratoga and Whitehall Railroad and Boston and Albany Railroad. He then returned to school at the Kinderhook Academy, from which he graduated in 1840. Reynolds studied law with attorney William H. Tobey of Kinderhook, 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 ...

, and began to practice as Tobey's partner in 1843.

Career

Reynolds moved to Albany in 1851, where he practiced law in partnership with

John V. L. Pruyn John Van Schaick Lansing Pruyn (June 22, 1811 – November 21, 1877) was a lawyer, businessman and politician from Albany, New York. His business ventures included banking and railroads, often in partnership with longtime friend Erastus Corning, ...

. In 1854, he began a partnership with

Clark B. Cochrane Clark Betton Cochrane (May 31, 1815 – March 5, 1867) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from New York. Born in New Boston, New Hampshire, Cochrane moved to Montgomery County, New York. He was graduated from Uni ...

and Hamilton Harris.

Congress

Reynolds was 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 ...

opposed to the expansion of slavery. During the

Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...

controversy, Reynolds ran successfully for a seat in the United States House of Representatives as an Anti-Lecompton Democrat. He served in the

36th Congress The 36th 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, 1859 ...

, March 4, 1859 to March 3, 1861. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1860.

Later career

After leaving Congress, Reynolds resumed practicing law in Albany. After Cochrane's 1867 death, Reynolds and Harris continued to practice as partners. In 1873, Reynolds was appointed a commissioner of the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

Death and burial

Reynolds died in Kinderhook on September 24, 1875. He was buried at Kinderhook Cemetery in Kinderhook.

Family

In 1843, Reynolds married Margaret Ann Whiting. They were the parents of six children: Charles Whiting: William H. Tobey; George; John H. Jr.; James Adger; and Margaret Whiting.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, John Hazard 1819 births 1875 deaths Politicians from Albany, New York Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Kinderhook, New York People from Hudson Falls, New York 19th-century American politicians