John Magee (September 3, 1794 – April 5, 1868) was an American veteran of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

who served two terms as a member of 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

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 * '' ...

from 1827 to 1831.

Biography

Magee was born in Easton,

Northampton County, Pennsylvania Northampton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,951. Its county seat is Easton. The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was Northamptonshire, En ...

, where he attended public schools. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in the

; moved to

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Steuben County, New York Steuben County (stu-BEN) is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,584. Its county seat is Bath. Its name is in honor of Baron von Steuben, a Prussian general who fought on the American ...

in 1812. He was elected

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

in 1818 and served until 1820. He was appointed Sheriff of Steuben County, New York in 1821 and elected to that office in 1822.

Congress

Magee was elected to the

Twentieth Congress The 20th 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, 1827, ...

and reelected as a Jacksonian to the

Twenty-first Congress The 21st 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, 1829, ...

(March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1831). Magee was nominated again in 1830 but lost to the Anti-Masonic candidate, Grattan H. Wheeler. Magee served as a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention in 1867. His 1831 home in Bath was the Davenport Free Library from 1893 to 1999, and is a National Register site under the Davenport name. Currently called the Magee House, it now houses Steuben County Historical Society and the Steuben County Historian's office.

Later career and death

Magee devoted the remaining years of his life to

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

ing, and was also interested in

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

. Magee died at Watkins,

Schuyler County, New York Schuyler County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,898, making it the second-least populous county in New York. The county seat is the village of Watkins Glen. The name is in honor of Gene ...

on April 5, 1868 at the age of 73. He is interred in Glenwood Cemetery.

Legacy

Watkins Glen, New York Watkins Glen is a village and census-designated place in and the county seat of Schuyler County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,829. Watkins Glen lies within the towns of Dix and Reading. To the southwest o ...

and

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania Wellsboro is a borough in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The borough was founded by Benjamin Wistar Morris. It is located northwest of Williamsport. The population was 3,472 at the 2020 census. Early in the 20th century, Wellsboro was the shipp ...

each have a Magee Street named for John Magee, or for his family. Duncan Township, in

Tioga County, Pennsylvania Tioga County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,045. Its county seat is Wellsboro. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and later organized in 1812. ...

, is named for one of this sons.Kirk House, "Steuben County People on the Maps of Two Worlds," ''Steuben Echoes ''44:4, November 2018, page 9.'

References

* Retrieved on 2010-01-02
A Biography of John Magee
by Gary M. Emerson

by James D. Folts *
Memorial of John Magee
'. Rev. Franklin Shumway Howe (1870).

External links

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 ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Magee, John 1794 births 1868 deaths 19th-century American legislators Burials in New York (state) Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Bath, New York Politicians from Northampton County, Pennsylvania Sheriffs of Steuben County, New York United States Army personnel of the War of 1812