James Lockwood Conger (February 18, 1805 – April 10, 1876) was an American lawyer and 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 ...

. From 1851 to 1853, he served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of the Whig party.

Biography

Conger was born in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora) is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrat ...

, where he attended the district schools and studied medicine at

Canandaigua Academy Canandaigua Academy is a high school (grades 9-12) in Canandaigua, New York, United States. It is part of the Canandaigua City School District. The school was named a national Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education ...

. In 1822, Conger moved to

Lancaster, Ohio Lancaster ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, in the south-central part of the state. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 40,552. The city is near the Hocking River, about southeast of Columbus and southwest of Zanesville. It is ...

, where he taught school for several years and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1825 and commenced practice in Lancaster. He soon 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. ...

, and continued the practice of law from 1826 to 1836. Then he moved to

Macomb County, Michigan Macomb County ( ) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan, bordering Lake St. Clair, and is part of northern Metro Detroit. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 881,217, making it the third-most populous co ...

, and laid out the town of Belvidere, Michigan, which was destroyed by flood in 1837. This was at the mouth of the Clinton River in what is today

Harrison Township, Michigan Harrison Charter Township is a charter township of Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 24,314 at the 2020 census. Harrison Township was formed in 1827 in the Michigan Territory along the shores of Lake St. Clair. ...

.a history of Macomb County
/ref> He soon moved to

Mount Clemens Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,314 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of government of Macomb County. History Mount Clemens was first surveyed in 1795 after the American Revolutionary War by Christia ...

, where he was engaged in banking and mercantile endeavors.

Congress

In 1850, Conger was elected as a Whig from

Michigan's 3rd congressional district Michigan's 3rd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in West Michigan. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of the counties of Barry and Ionia, as well as all except the northwestern portion of Kent, including the city of Grand R ...

to the

32nd United States Congress The 32nd 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, 1851, ...

, serving from March 4, 1851 to March 3, 1853. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1852 and resumed his former business pursuits.

Retirement and death

Owing to ill health, James L. Conger retired from active business pursuits. He died in

St. Clair, Michigan St. Clair is a city in St. Clair County in the eastern "Thumb" of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,485 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the St. Clair River near the southeast corner of St. Clair Township. Geography *Ac ...

, and was interred in Green Lawn Cemetery in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

References

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conger, James Lockwood 1805 births 1876 deaths Burials at Green Lawn Cemetery (Columbus, Ohio) Politicians from Canandaigua, New York People from Mount Clemens, Michigan Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American politicians People from Trenton, New Jersey People from Lancaster, Ohio People from Cleveland