Edward Rumsey (November 5, 1796 – April 6, 1868) 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
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
.
Background
Rumsey was born to Dr. Edward Rumsey in
Botetourt County, Virginia.
When the younger Rumsey was still a child, Dr. Rumsey moved the family to
Christian County, Kentucky
Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,748. Its county seat is Hopkinsville. The county was formed in 1797. Christian County is part of the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropo ...
.
Studying under Daniel Barry, he completed preparatory studies in
Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
He studied law under
John J. Crittenden
John Jordan Crittenden (September 10, 1787 July 26, 1863) was an American statesman and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as Unite ...
, with whom he became lifelong friends.
He moved to
Greenville, Kentucky where he was admitted to the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
and practiced in
Muhlenberg and surrounding counties.
Biography
Rumsey was elected to the
Kentucky House of Representatives in 1822. The major questions during his tenure were those connected to the
Old Court-New Court controversy.
On January 5, 1832, Rumsey married Jane Merrihew Wing. The couple had two children.
Rumsey was elected as a Whig to the
Twenty-fifth Congress
The 25th 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, 183 ...
, serving from March 4, 1837 to March 3, 1839.
On February 9, 1839, he gave an impassioned speech on the House floor regarding a resolution to recognize his uncle,
James Rumsey
James Rumsey (1743 – December 21, 1792) was an American mechanical engineer chiefly known for exhibiting a boat propelled by machinery in 1787 on the Potomac River at Shepherdstown in present-day West Virginia before a crowd of local notables ...
, as the inventor of the
steamboat and to present a gold medal to his cousin, his uncle's only child.
The resolution unanimously passed the House, but failed in the
Senate.
[
In spring 1838, both Rumsey's young children contracted scarlet fever and died.]
Honours
According to historian Otto Rothert, the town of Rumsey in McLean County, Kentucky
McLean County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,152. Its county seat is Calhoun. McLean is a prohibition or dry county. McLean County is part of the Owensboro, KY Metropolitan S ...
was to be named after Edward Rumsey. Out of modesty, Rumsey declined, after which the citizens agreed to a compromise whereby the town would be called Rumsey and officially be named in honor of James Rumsey.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rumsey, Edward
1796 births
1868 deaths
People from Botetourt County, Virginia
Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky
People from Greenville, Kentucky
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American lawyers
Kentucky lawyers