John Taffe (January 30, 1827 – March 14, 1884) was a

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

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 ...

politician.

Biography

He was born in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

on January 30, 1827. He passed the bar and moved to the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska ...

in 1856, becoming a member of the Nebraska Territorial House of Representatives from 1858 to 1859 and as the president of the Nebraska Territorial council in 1860 and 1861. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he enlisted and served as major in the Second Regiment of the Nebraska Volunteer Cavalry. Originally named Captain of Company "I", he was promoted to Major Jan 24, 1863, joining the Field Officers of the entire regiment. He returned to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, where he was elected to the Fortieth United States Congress from Nebraska. He was re-elected two times serving from March 4, 1867 to March 3, 1873. During the

Forty-second United States Congress The 42nd 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, 1871, ...

, he was the chairman on the Committee on Territories. He resumed his practice of law, becoming receiver of the public land office in

North Platte, Nebraska North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the west-central part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River. T ...

, where he died March 14, 1884. He is buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in North Omaha.

References

* * * * 1827 births 1884 deaths Nebraska lawyers Union Army officers Burials at Prospect Hill Cemetery (North Omaha, Nebraska) Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American lawyers {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub