John Thomas Spriggs (April 5, 1825 – December 23, 1888) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as 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 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 1883 to 1887.

Biography

Born in

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, J. Thomas Spriggs immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled in

Whitesboro, New York Whitesboro is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 3,772 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Hugh White, an early settler. The Village of Whitesboro is inside the Town of Whitestown. History The vi ...

in 1836. He attended Hamilton College, and graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

in 1848. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1848 and began practice in Whitesboro. He became prosecuting attorney of Oneida County in 1853, and county treasurer in 1854. He served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

from 1868 to 1880, and as delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1860, 1872 and 1880.

Congress

Spriggs was elected as 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 ...

to the Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses (March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887). He served as chairman of the Committee on Accounts (Forty-ninth Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1886 to the Fiftieth Congress.

Later career and death

After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law. He died in Utica on December 23, 1888 and was buried in Whitesboro Cemetery in Whitesboro.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spriggs, John Thomas 1825 births 1888 deaths Mayors of Utica, New York Union College (New York) alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Peterborough People from Whitesboro, New York 19th-century American politicians