John Lawrence Schoolcraft (September 22, 1806 – June 7, 1860) was a

U.S. 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 c ...

from New York.

Biography

John L. Schoolcraft was born in Guilderland, New York on September 22, 1806. His father died when he was three months old, and Schoolcraft's mother remarried and moved to

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. He remained in Guilderland, where he was raised by his grandparents.Melissa Hale-Spencer, Altamont Enterprise
Begley Chronicles the Whig Congressman from Guilderland
October 10, 2013 The Schoolcrafts owned a large farm in Guilderland (over 1,000 acres) and ran a tavern and hotel on the Great Western Turnpike (now Western Avenue). Schoolcraft was educated in the schools of Guilderland. At age 18 Schoolcraft's application to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

was rejected. As a result, he moved to Albany and began a business and banking career. He operated a wholesale grocery business and was active in the Albany and Cohoes and

New York Central The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

Railroads, and several other enterprises. In the 1830s Schoolcraft became active in the Whig Party. He was a member of the New York Whig Central Committee and was a delegate to several local and state party conventions. As a result of these activities, Schoolcraft became a close confidant of

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senate, United States Senat ...

and

Thurlow Weed Edward Thurlow Weed (November 15, 1797 – November 22, 1882) was a printer, New York newspaper publisher, and Whig and Republican politician. He was the principal political advisor to prominent New York politician William H. Seward and was ins ...

. Schoolcraft was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-first Congress, succeeding

John I. Slingerland John I. Slingerland (March 1, 1804 – October 26, 1861) was a New York farmer, businessman, and politician. He served terms in both the New York State Assembly and the United States House of Representatives. A native and lifelong resident of B ...

by defeating candidates of the Democratic and

Free Soil The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into ...

parties. He was re-elected to the Thirty-second Congress, defeating Democrat Erastus Corning. He represented

New York's 13th congressional district New York's 13th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City, represented by Adriano Espaillat. The district is the smallest congressional district by area in the U.S. The ...

from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1853, and was not a candidate for renomination in 1852. He was succeeded by

Russell Sage Russell Risley Sage (August 4, 1816 – July 22, 1906) was an American financier, railroad executive and Whig politician from New York. As a frequent partner of Jay Gould in various transactions, he amassed a fortune. Olivia Slocum Sage, his s ...

. In 1853 Schoolcraft married Caroline Cornelia Canfield (1834-1922), the niece of William H. Seward. Weed served as a witness. Active in banking as an incorporator of the Albany City Bank and an officer of the Commercial Bank of

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

(now

Key Bank KeyBank, the primary subsidiary of KeyCorp, is a regional bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and is the only major bank based in Cleveland. KeyBank is one of the largest banks in the United States. Key's customer base spans retail, small ...

), he was named President of the Commercial Bank in 1854 and served until his death. He became a Republican when the party was founded in the mid-1850s, and was a delegate to the

1860 Republican National Convention The 1860 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met May 16-18 in Chicago, Illinois. It was held to nominate the Republican Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The conven ...

Death and burial

Schoolcraft became ill and died in

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2016, it has an area of , 136,803 residents, and a metropolitan population of 406,074. It lies in Southern Ontario ...

in the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British North America, British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham ...

(in what is now modern-day

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

) on June 7, 1860, while returning from the Republican convention in Chicago. He was interred in Albany Rural Cemetery.Edward Fitzgerald
A Hand Book for the Albany Rural Cemetery
1871, page 22

Legacy

His home in Guilderland, the John Schoolcraft House, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982. It is owned by the town of Guilderland.

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schoolcraft, John Lawrence 1806 births 1860 deaths New York (state) Republicans People from Guilderland, New York American bankers 19th-century American railroad executives Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century American legislators