John Worth Edmonds (March 13, 1799 – April 5, 1874) was an American lawyer and politician 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 * '' ...

, and co-founder of

Children's Village The Children's Village, formerly the New York Juvenile Asylum, is a private, non-profit residential treatment facility and school for troubled children. It was founded in 1851 by 24 citizens of New York who were concerned about growing numbers o ...

with 23 others.

Life

He was the son of General Samuel Edmonds (1760–1825; assemblyman in

1803 Events * January 1 – The first edition of Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de La Reynière's ''Almanach des gourmands'', the first guide to restaurant cooking, is published in Paris. * January 5 – William Symington demonstrates his ...

) and Lydia (Worth) Edmonds (1765–1841). He 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 1816. He was admitted to the bar in 1819, and commenced practice in Hudson. He married Sarah, and they had several children. He was Recorder of the City of Hudson from 1827 to 1833. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Columbia Co.) in

1831 Events January–March * January 1 – William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing '' The Liberator'', an anti-slavery newspaper, in Boston, Massachusetts. * January 10 – Japanese department store, Takashimaya in Kyoto establ ...

. 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 ...

(3rd D.) from 1832 to 1835, sitting in the 55th, 56th, 57th and

58th New York State Legislature The 58th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to May 11, 1835, during the third year of William L. Marcy's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisi ...

s. In 1837, he was appointed U.S. Commissioner upon the Disturbance at the Potawatamie Payment—which had occurred in September 1836—and submitted
''Report''
(1837; 42 pages; on-line version) to

Commissioner of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal government of the United States, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

Carey A. Harris. In 1841, he removed to New York City, and resumed the practice of law there. In 1843, he was appointed a State Prison Inspector. Edmonds was one of the defense lawyers for

Monroe Edwards Monroe Edwards (1808 – January 27, 1847) was an American slave trader, forger, and criminal who was the subject of a well-publicized trial and conviction in 1842. Originally from Kentucky, Edwards moved to New Orleans then settled in Texa ...

, a famous forger. Edwards tried to pay Edmonds for his services with a forged check. He was Judge of the First Judicial District from 1845 to 1847, and a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

(1st D.) from 1847 to 1853. In 1851 he became a

Spiritualist Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century The ''long nineteenth century'' i ...

, and published with Dr. George T. Dexter a work in two volumes on this belie
''Spiritualism'' (Vol. I)
(1853; on-line version) an
''Spiritualism'' (Vol. II)
(1855; 542 pages; on-line version). He died at his home at 71

Irving Place Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated as "Lex", is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street. Along its ...

, in New York City, and was buried at the City Cemetery in Hudson.

References

Sources

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 129f, 140, 210, 272, 350, 355 and 427; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
''OBITUARY; Ex-Judge Edmonds''
in NYT on April 7, 1874

from Hudson City Cemetery {{DEFAULTSORT:Edmonds, John W 1799 births 1874 deaths New York (state) state senators Members of the New York State Assembly People from Hudson, New York New York (state) Jacksonians 19th-century American politicians New York Supreme Court Justices American spiritualists