John Hickman (September 11, 1810 – March 23, 1875) was 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 ...
,
Democratic and
Anti-Lecompton Democratic member of the
U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
for
Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district is a district in the state of Pennsylvania. It includes all of Chester County, the city of Reading, and Reading's southeastern suburbs in Berks County. The district is represented by Democrat Chrissy Houl ...
from 1855 to 1863.
Early life
John Hickman was born in
West Bradford Township, Pennsylvania
West Bradford Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 12,376 at the 2010 census.
History
There are three federal historic districts ( Marshallton, Trimbleville, and Northbrook) on the National ...
. He pursued English and classical studies under private tutors. He began the study of medicine but abandoned it for the study of law. He was admitted to the bar in 1833 and commenced practice in West Chester. He was a delegate to the Democratic convention at Baltimore in
1844. He served as district attorney for
Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the De ...
, in 1845 and 1846.
United States House of Representatives
Hickman was elected as a Democrat to the
Thirty-fourth and
Thirty-fifth Congresses, as an Anti-Lecompton Democrat to the
Thirty-sixth Congress, and as a Republican to the
Thirty-seventh Congress. He served as chairman of the
United States House Committee on Revolutionary Pensions
The United States House Committee on Revolutionary Pensions was a U.S. House committee, established on January 10, 1831, that superseded the defunct Committee on Military Pensions to assume jurisdiction over issues related to pensions for service ...
during the Thirty-fifth Congress and the
United States House Committee on the Judiciary
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...
during the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses. At the
1860 Republican National Convention, Hickman finished 3rd in the race for the vice-presidential nomination, behind
Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republican ...
and
Cassius Clay
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
At a political dinner in Philadelphia a week after
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
declared secession from the Union, Hickman made a fiery speech calling for war, reported on the front page of the ''
Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...
'' on December 29, 1860:
The time for action has arrived; every man must define his position; there is an eternal conflict between freedom and slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
; truces which will last cannot be formed between them. . . . You must now make up your minds whether to serve God or Belial
Belial ( he, , ''Bəlīyyaʿal'') is a term occurring in the Hebrew Bible/ Old Testament which later became personified as the devilSee the reference to "Beliar" in ''The Ascension of Isaiah'', at EarlyChristianWritings.com', specifically at ...
. (Cheers.) . . . For myself I say distinctly — ''No more compromises.'' (Long continued applause.) I love the Constitution and the Union, but I will not buy them from an enemy. (Cries of good.) . . . South Carolina is not out of the Union, and by the blessing of Almighty God she ''never will'' be out of the Union. (Uproarious cheers.) And if you believe as I do, she never will be out of the Union. (Cheers.) The eighteen millions of the North are not to be put down by the eight millions of the South. The prospect is indeed gloomy. We have a traitor President and a corrupt and rotten Cabinet. But with all the banded seceding States and their traitor friends, we will yet save the Union. (Cheers.) . . . The South thinks the North is craven, and our Union-saving merchants encourage that belief. I want to know whether every man is going to purchase a peace or ''defend'' the peace. (Cheers.)
He declined to be a candidate for renomination in
1862
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria.
* January 6 – French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico.
* January ...
. He was one of the managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1862 to conduct the impeachment proceedings against
West H. Humphreys, United States judge for the several districts of
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
.
He resumed the practice of law and served as a member of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
in 1869. He died in West Chester and is interred in
Oaklands Cemetery
Oaklands Cemetery is a rural cemetery founded in 1854 in West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is located at 1042 Pottstown Pike and is approximately in size.
Description and history
The Oaklands Cemetery was founded in respo ...
.
Notes
Sources
The Political Graveyard
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickman, John
Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania lawyers
1810 births
1875 deaths
Burials at Oaklands Cemetery
People from Chester County, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Republicans
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American lawyers