James Colgate Cleveland (June 13, 1920 – December 3, 1995) 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 ...

in the U.S. state of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

. He served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1963 to 1981.

Early life

Cleveland was born in Montclair, Essex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He attended

Deerfield Academy Deerfield Academy is an elite coeducational preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admis ...

Deerfield, Massachusetts Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Settled near the Connecticut River in the 17th century during the colonial era, the population was 5,090 as of the 2020 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachu ...

before graduating from Colgate University in

Hamilton, New York Hamilton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2010 census. The town is named after American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The Town of Hamilton contains a village also named Hamilton, the s ...

in 1942. He then attended

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...

as a graduate student. His time at Yale was interrupted when he enlisted in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in December 1941. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he served overseas in the Pacific in the 40th Infantry Division and was discharged as a captain of Field Artillery in February 1946. He returned to Yale after the war and earned his law degree in 1948. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and began practicing law in New London in January 1949.

Political career

Cleveland held various political positions in New Hampshire, and served as a Republican member of the

New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on populatio ...

from 1950 to 1962. In June 1951 he was recalled up to the Army during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and was stationed in Germany. He was awarded the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for valor, and retired from service in November 1952. He was an organizer and director of New London Trust Company, and served as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1950 to 1962. He served as majority floor leader twice while he was in the State Senate. In 1962 Cleveland ran as a Republican candidate for the office of

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 ...

for

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit, ...

district. He was elected to the 88th Congress and to the eight succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1963 to January 3, 1981. While he stated that he only ran because he didn't think there were good choices for the position, he won the respect of the constituents of his district. By using a bi-annual questionnaire sent to the people in his district, he tried to represent their desires even if it were not his own personal opinion of an issue. In Congress he served on the

United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. History The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was formerly known as the Committee on Public Works ...

. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1980 to the Ninety-seventh Congress and retired from public life.

Death and legacy

Cleveland died on December 3, 1995 (age 75 years, 173 days) in

New London, New Hampshire New London is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 census. The town is the home of Colby–Sawyer College. The town center, where 1,266 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as th ...

. He is interred at Old Main Street Cemetery in New London. In appreciation of Cleveland's work in Congress, the United States Post Office and Court House building in

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

was renamed the James C. Cleveland Federal Building in 1980. In 1982 the James C. Cleveland Bridge was constructed in Berlin, New Hampshire in his honor. The James C. Cleveland Papers are held by the Cleveland, Colby, Colgate Archives of Colby-Sawyer College in New London.

Family life

Cleveland was the eldest son of Dr. Mather Cleveland and Susan Everett (Colgate) Cleveland. His sister was actress Patience Cleveland. On December 9, 1950 Cleveland married Hilary Paterson, and they moved into the Cleveland summer home in New London. They had five children, Cotton Mather, James Colby, David Paterson, Lincoln Mather, and Susan Sclater. Cleveland's wife became a professor at Colby–Sawyer College.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland, James Colgate 1920 births 1995 deaths New Hampshire lawyers Republican Party New Hampshire state senators United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War Colgate University alumni Yale Law School alumni People from Montclair, New Jersey People from New London, New Hampshire Deerfield Academy alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians