John Wesley Longyear (October 22, 1820 – March 10, 1875) was a

United States 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 ...

from

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Education and career

Longyear was born on October 22, 1820, in Shandaken, New York, the son of Petrus Longyear (also known as Peter Longyear, 1784–1845), of Dutch heritage, and Jerusha Longyear (née Jerusha Stevens), of English heritage. The Longyears were descendants of Jacob Longyear Sr. (also known as Jacob Langjaer), an 18th-century immigrant to New York from

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

. Longyear pursued classical studies at the Lima Academy in New York. He taught school for several years in New York. He moved to

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

, Ingham County,

in 1844 and taught school. He

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

and was admitted to the Ingham County bar in 1846. He entered private practice in Mason from 1846 to 1847. He continued private practice in

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

, Michigan from 1847 to 1870.

Congressional service

Longyear was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 3rd congressional district to 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 ...

of the 38th and

39th United States Congress The 39th 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, 1865, ...

es, serving from March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1867. He was Chairman of the United States House Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings for the 38th and 39th United States Congresses. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1866.

Other service

Longyear was delegate to the Loyalist Convention at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1866 and to the Michigan State constitutional convention in 1867.

Federal judicial service

Longyear was nominated by President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

on February 7, 1870, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan vacated by Judge

Ross Wilkins Ross Wilkins (February 19, 1799 – May 17, 1872) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Education and caree ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on February 18, 1870, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 10, 1875, due to his death in Detroit, where he had moved in 1871. He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in Lansing.

References

Sources

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The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Longyear, John Wesley 1820 births 1875 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan United States federal judges appointed by Ulysses S. Grant 19th-century American judges People from Shandaken, New York Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American politicians