Martin Ambrose Foran (November 11, 1844 – June 28, 1921) was an American lawyer, jurist, politician, and
Civil War veteran who served as a
U.S. Representative from
Ohio for three terms from 1883 to 1889.
Early life and education
Foran was born in
Choconut Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
Choconut Township is a township in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 684 at the 2020 census.
It is named for the native tribe of Choconut, or ''Ochugnut'' people, who settled the area prior to European/American ...
. He lived on his father's farm and learned the art of
coopering
A cooper is a person trained to make wooden casks, barrels, vats, buckets, tubs, troughs and other similar containers from timber staves that were usually heated or steamed to make them pliable.
Journeymen coopers also traditionally made ...
.
Foran attended the public schools and
St. Joseph's College.
He taught school three years and also spent two years in Ireland.
Civil War
He served as a private in the Fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry, from April 1864 to July 1865.
Career
After the war, he taught for a few months. He found work as a cooper at
Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The city is within of Erie and within of Pittsburgh. It was the first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The population was 13,388 at the 2010 censu ...
, and moved to
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, March 11, 1868. He was prominent in his trade and was president of the
Coopers' International Union
The Coopers' International Union of North America (CIUNA) was a labor union representing coopers in the United States and Canada.
The origins of the union lay in the Coopers of North America union, founded in 1870. It was a founding affiliate of t ...
, and editor of the ''Coopers Journal'' from 1870 to 1874.
[
He served as a member of the State constitutional convention of Ohio in 1873.
He studied law.
He was admitted to the bar in 1874 and commenced practice in Cleveland.
He served as prosecuting attorney for the city of Cleveland 1875–1877.
]
Congress
Foran was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-eighth, Forty-ninth, and Fiftieth Congresses (March 4, 1883 – March 4, 1889).
He was not a candidate for reelection.
Later career and death
He resumed the practice of law in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
.
He served as judge of the court of common pleas from January 1911 until his death in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, June 28, 1921.
He was interred in Lake View Cemetery.
Family life
On December 29, 1868, Foran married Kate Kavanaugh. They had daughters named Gertrude M. and Margaret O. After Kate died, Foran married Emma Kennedy, December 1893.[ He was member of the ]B.P.O.E.
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City.
History
The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...
, Grand Army of the Republic, and the Catholic Church.[
]
References
Sources
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Foran, Martin Ambrose
1844 births
1921 deaths
Politicians from Cleveland
Burials at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland
Ohio Constitutional Convention (1873)
Saint Joseph's University alumni
Ohio lawyers
People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War
Union Army soldiers
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
19th-century American lawyers