Henry Melville Youmans (May 15, 1832 – July 8, 1920) was a politician from the U.S. state of

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 ...

. Youmans was born in

Otego, New York Otego is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 3,115 at the 2010 census. The name is a native word meaning "where there is fire." The Town of Otego is on the southern border of the county and contains a village cal ...

and attended the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary o ...

s. He was in the employ of the York & Erie Railroad Co. on the Susquehanna division for ten years. He moved to East Saginaw, Michigan in 1862 and engaged in the manufacture of lumber and salt from 1863 to 1878. He moved to St. Clair County in 1878 and engaged in farming and lumbering until 1884 when he returned to East Saginaw. Youmans served as mayor of East Saginaw in 1886 and 1887, and also served four terms as

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

. In the general election of 1890, Youmans ran as the candidate of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and defeated incumbent Republican Aaron T. Bliss to be elected from

Michigan's 8th congressional district Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan and Southeast Michigan, including almost all of the state capital, Lansing. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of all of Clinton, Ingham, and Li ...

to the

52nd United States Congress The 52nd 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, 1891, ...

, serving from March 4, 1891 to March 3, 1893. He was chairman of the

Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1892, losing to Republican

William S. Linton William Seelye Linton (February 4, 1856 – November 22, 1927) was an American politician from Michigan. Early life Linton was born in St. Clair, Michigan and moved with his parents to Saginaw in 1859, where he attended the public schools. ...

. He was also unsuccessful against

Joseph W. Fordney Joseph Warren Fordney (November 5, 1853 – January 8, 1932) was an American Republican politician from Saginaw, Michigan. He represented Saginaw County and the surrounding area of Central Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives for twenty-f ...

in 1902. After leaving Congress, Henry M. Youmans became a member of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

(22nd district) in 1896 and 1897. He engaged in agricultural pursuits in Bridgeport, Michigan until his death in Saginaw, where he was interred in Brady Hill Cemetery.

References

Henry M. Youmans
at The Political Graveyard

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Youmans, Henry Melville 1832 births 1920 deaths People from Otsego County, New York Michigan city council members Mayors of Saginaw, Michigan Democratic Party Michigan state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan People from Bridgeport, Michigan