John P. Darling (February 25, 1815 in

Berkshire County, Massachusetts Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...

– June 17, 1882) was an American politician from New York.

Life

He was the son of Rufus Darling (1781–1828), a farmer, and Prudy (Lee) Darling (1787–1873). The family removed in 1818 to

Lenox Lenox may refer to: Places in the United States * Lenox, Alabama * Lenox, Georgia * Lenox, Iowa ** Lenox College, former college in Hopkinton, Iowa * Lenox, Kentucky * Lenox, Massachusetts, a New England town ** Lenox (CDP), Massachusetts, the m ...

Madison County, New York Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,016. Its county seat is Wampsville. The county is named after James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, and was fir ...

, and in 1824 to

Cattaraugus County Cattaraugus County (locally known as Catt County) is a county in Western New York, with one side bordering Pennsylvania. As of the United States 2020 census, the population was 77,042. The county seat is Little Valley. The county was created ...

. After the death of his father, John worked as a raftsman on the

Allegany River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into New York then in ...

, a cutter of

cord wood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellets or chips. Firewood can ...

, a farm-hand, and a clerk in a dry-goods store in Waverly. In 1838, he became a merchant. In the same year, he married Abiah Strickland (b. 1813), and they had two daughters. Darling entered politics as a Whig, joined the American Party for a short time, and finally the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

in 1856. He was Clerk of the Town of Otto for several terms beginning in 1837. He was Supervisor of the Town of Otto for several terms, first in 1845. He was Postmaster of Otto from 1850 to 1853, and Treasurer of Cattaraugus County from 1852 to 1854. In 1853, he removed to

Cattaraugus, New York Cattaraugus is a village in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 996 at the 2020 census. The village lies in the northeast part of the town of New Albion, north of Salamanca. History In 1828, the brothers Calvin and ...

, and was Supervisor of the Town of

New Albion New Albion, also known as ''Nova Albion'' (in reference to an archaic name for Britain), was the name of the continental area north of Mexico claimed by Sir Francis Drake for England when he landed on the North American west coast in 1579. Thi ...

in 1855, 1858, 1860, 1863, 1865, 1867 and 1875. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(32nd D.) from 1857 to 1859, sitting in the 80th, 81st and

82nd New York State Legislature The 82nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to April 19, 1859, during the first year of Edwin D. Morgan's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provis ...

s. He was a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

on the Union ticket in

1864 Events January–March * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song " ...

, voting for

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

and

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

Sources

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1867; pg. 441f, 542 and 580)
''Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York in 1859''
by William D. Murray (pg. 43ff)

transcribed from ''The History of Cattaraugus County, NY'' by Franklin Ellis (1879; pg. 381-390), at Painted Hills
''Tremayne's Table of the Post-Offices in the United States''
compiled by Edward Tremayne (1850; pg. 109) {{DEFAULTSORT:Darling, John P 1815 births 1882 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Berkshire County, Massachusetts People from Cattaraugus County, New York New York (state) postmasters Town supervisors in New York (state) 1864 United States presidential electors 19th-century American legislators People from Lenox, Massachusetts