James Iver McKay (July 17, 1792September 14, 1853) was a 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. He was born in 1792, near

Elizabethtown, North Carolina Elizabethtown is a town in Bladen County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,583 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bladen County. History Some hold Elizabethtown is named for Elizabeth, the wife of George Carteret, whi ...

. He pursued classical studies and then law. He was appointed

United States attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the district of North Carolina on March 6, 1817, and also served in the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

(1815–1819, 1822, 1826, and 1830). He was elected as a Jacksonian to the 22nd through 24th congresses (1831–1837) and as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the 25th through 30th congresses (1837–1849). He served as chairman of the: Committee on Military Affairs (25th Congress), Committee on the

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

and Post Roads (26th Congress), Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War (27th Congress), Ways and Means Committee (28th and 29th congresses). He was also the chief sponsor of the

Walker Tariff The Walker Tariff was a set of tariff rates adopted by the United States in 1846. Enacted by the Democrats, it made substantial cuts in the high rates of the " Black Tariff" of 1842, enacted by the Whigs. It was based on a report by Secretary of ...

of 1846; and was the

favorite son Favorite son (or favorite daughter) is a political term. * At the quadrennial American national political party conventions, a state delegation sometimes nominates a candidate from the state, or less often from the state's region, who is not a ...

of the North Carolina delegation at the

1848 Democratic National Convention The 1848 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met from Monday May 22 to Thursday May 25 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for President and Vice president in ...

for Vice President. McKay also introduced the

Coinage Act of 1849 The Coinage Act of 1849 was an Act of the United States Congress passed during the California Gold Rush authorizing the Mint to produce two new gold coins in response to the increased gold supply: the small gold dollar and the large double eagle ...

on the House floor, with it successfully passing. McKay died in

Goldsboro, North Carolina Goldsboro, originally Goldsborough, is a city and the county seat of Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 33,657 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropol ...

, September 14, 1853. Though an unapologetic slave-owner, his will included the unusual provision that 30–40 of his slaves be placed under the supervision of the

American Colonization Society The American Colonization Society (ACS), initially the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America until 1837, was an American organization founded in 1816 by Robert Finley to encourage and support the migration of freebor ...

.Clegg, Claude A., III, ''The Price of Liberty: African Americans and the making of Liberia'', Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009, p. 192.

References

External links

U.S. Congress Biographical Directory entry
Democratic Party North Carolina state senators 1792 births 1853 deaths Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina People from Elizabethtown, North Carolina Deans of the United States House of Representatives American slave owners {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub

See also

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External links