John Biddle (March 2, 1792 – August 25, 1859) was an American military officer, politician, and businessman. He served as a

delegate Delegate or delegates may refer to: * Delegate, New South Wales, a town in Australia * Delegate (CLI), a computer programming technique * Delegate (American politics), a representative in any of various political organizations * Delegate (Unit ...

to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

from the Michigan Territory, as the speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, and as mayor of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Early life

Part of the prominent Pennsylvania Biddle family, John Biddle was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, in 1792, the son of Hannah Shephard and Charles Biddle, former Vice President of Pennsylvania, and nephew of Commodore

Nicholas Biddle Nicholas Biddle (January 8, 1786February 27, 1844) was an American financier who served as the third and last president of the Second Bank of the United States (chartered 1816–1836). Throughout his life Biddle worked as an editor, diplomat, au ...

. He attended the common schools before entering and graduating from

Princeton College Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

Career

At the outbreak of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, Biddle enlisted in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

and was appointed a second lieutenant in the Third Artillery on July 6, 1812, and promoted to first lieutenant March 13, 1813. He was attached to the staff of General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

on the Niagara Frontier for most of the war. He became captain in the Forty-second Infantry October 1, 1813, served as assistant inspector general with the rank of major from June 19, 1817, to June 1, 1821, and commanded Fort Shelby in

for some time. After leaving the military, Biddle was appointed paymaster and Indian agent at Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1821 and 1822. He was register of the land at

in Michigan Territory, 1823–1837; commissioner for determining the ancient land claims at Detroit, Mackinaw, Sault Ste. Marie, Green Bay, and

Prairie du Chien Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was esta ...

Politics and civic leadership

Biddle served as mayor of Detroit in 1827 and 1828. He was elected a delegate from the Territory of Michigan to the Twenty-first Congress and served from March 4, 1829, until his resignation on February 21, 1831. He was president of the convention that framed the State constitution for Michigan in 1835, even though his Whig Party was in the minority. He ran unsuccessfully as the Whig candidate for election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

and later for Governor of Michigan. Biddle was a member of the

Michigan State House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 U ...

in 1841 and served as speaker, and was a Trustee of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Biddle was president of the Michigan Central Railroad. He also served as the first president of Farmers’ and Mechanics’ Bank, and was a bank director from 1829 through 1838. He was also active in the civic life of Detroit, being elected vice president of the Detroit Athenaeum, active in the Association for Promoting Female Education in the City of Detroit, and vice president (1828–1837) and president (1837) of the Historical Society of Michigan.

Personal life

On January 21, 1819, he married Eliza Falconer Bradish (1795–1865), the daughter of James Bradish (1772–1799) and Margaretta Thompson (1770–1846) of New York. The couple had four children that lived to adulthood: * Margaretta Falconer Biddle (1825–1913), who married Andrew Porter (1820–1872), a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

general * William Shepard Biddle (1830–1901), who married Susan Dayton Ogden (1831–1878), daughter of Elias B. D. Ogden, a New Jersey Supreme Court Justice * Major James Biddle (1833–1905) * Edward John Biddle (1836–1892) In 1859, Biddle went to White Sulphur Springs in what is now West Virginia, for the summer, and died there. He is interred in Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan.

Wyandotte

In 1818, Biddle acquired of land south of Detroit. He constructed a summer estate on the land, completed in 1835. Biddle named his estate "Wyandotte" after the Native American people who had once lived there. Biddle's home stood where the George P. MacNichol House how sits. Biddle and his family retired to the Wyandotte estate in 1836. However, Biddle was uninterested in farming the estate, and spent much time on his estate near

St. Louis, Michigan St. Louis is a city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census the population was 7,482. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It was ...

. In 1853, he sold the Wyandotte estate to Eber Brock Ward of Eureka Iron & Steel Works, who developed the area into the city of

Wyandotte, Michigan Wyandotte ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 25,058 at the 2020 census. Wyandotte is located in southeastern Michigan, approximately south of Detroit on the Detroit River, and it is part of the coll ...

. Jefferson Avenue, which stretches from New Baltimore to East Rockwood, is named Biddle Avenue through Wyandotte. After selling the Wyandotte estate, Biddle and his wife returned to Philadelphia, and later the couple spent much time in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Descendants

His grandson (William Shepard Biddle's son), also named John Biddle (1859–1936) became Superintendent of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biddle, John 1792 births 1859 deaths

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Mayors of Detroit Speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Territory Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit) Regents of the University of Michigan United States Army officers United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Michigan Jacksonians Michigan Whigs Delegates to the 1835 Michigan Constitutional Convention 19th-century American politicians Politicians from Philadelphia Military personnel from Philadelphia