Joseph Tucker (August 21, 1832 – November 28, 1907) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who served as the 28th Lieutenant Governor for the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

from 1869 to 1873.

Early life and career

Joseph Tucker was born in Lenox, Massachusetts on August 21, 1832, to George J. and Eunice Cook Tucker. Both his father and grandfather were treasurers of Berkshire County. Joseph's youngest brother George was also county treasurer. Tucker graduated from Lenox Academy and attended

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

, graduating in 1851. He then studied at Harvard Law School and was admitted to the Berkshire bar in 1854. After graduating, Tucker practiced law in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

until 1860. Following the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Tucker worked in

Great Barrington, Massachusetts Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,172 at the 2020 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, ...

Military career

In September 1862, Tucker enlisted in the 49th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. During the Red River Campaign, Tucker served as acting assistant adjutant general. At the Battle of Plains Store, Tucker was shot in the right knee, requiring an amputation of the right leg. After the amputation, Tucker was sent home.

Political career

Tucker's political career started in November 1863 when Governor

John Albion Andrew John Albion Andrew (May 31, 1818 – October 30, 1867) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He was elected in 1860 as the 25th Governor of Massachusetts, serving between 1861 and 1866, and led the state's contributions to ...

appointed him superintendent of recruiting in Berkshire County. In 1865, Tucker won his first elected position to the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

. He represented the 7th Berkshire district, which encompassed his hometown of Great Barrington, as well as Alford and

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

. While a representative, Tucker served on the Joint Committee on Military Affairs. Tucker was elected to the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

in 1866. He originally represented the South Berkshire District, encompassing Alford,

Becket ''Becket or The Honour of God'' (french: Becket ou l'honneur de Dieu) is a 1959 play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination in 117 ...

, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox,

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934 ...

, New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sandisfield,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, Stockbridge,

Tyringham Tyringham (/ˈtiːrɪŋəm/) is a village in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about a mile and a half north of Newport Pagnell. The village name is an Old English language word, an ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, and West Stockbridge. In this position, Tucker served on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and chaired the Joint Committee on Military Affairs. He also chaired the Joint Special Committee on Soldiers and Sailors, and Families of the Slain, and served on the Joint Special Committee on the Petition of Pierce, Bacon and Others, for a License Law. In 1867, Senator Tucker was redistricted to the Berkshire and

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

District, encompassing Alford,

, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox,

, New Marlborough, Otis, Sandisfield,

, Stockbridge,

, West Stockbridge, Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Huntington, Middlefield, Plainfield, and Worthington. Tucker continued to serve on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and chair the Joint Committee on Military Affairs and Joint Special Committee on Expenditures for State Aid to Soldiers, etc. Tucker also became the chairman of the Joint Special Committee on Purchase of Western Railroad. He died at his home in Pittsfield on November 28, 1907.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Joseph 1832 births 1907 deaths Harvard Law School alumni Lieutenant Governors of Massachusetts Massachusetts lawyers Republican Party Massachusetts state senators Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers Williams College alumni

Early life and career

Military career

Political career

See also

References