John Law (October 28, 1796 – October 7, 1873) was an American politician who represented

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

in 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 1861-1865. He was the son of

Lyman Law Lyman Law (August 19, 1770 – February 3, 1842), son of Richard Law and father of John Law, was a United States representative from Connecticut. He was born New London, Connecticut. He pursued classical studies and was graduated from Yale C ...

, and grandson of Richard Law, and Amasa Learned. Law was born in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

. He pursued classical studies and was graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1814. Later, he studied law and he was admitted to the bar in 1817 and he commenced practice in

Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. Founded in 1732 by French fur ...

. Law was the prosecuting attorney 1818-1820 and a member of the Indiana House of Representatives in 1824 and 1825. He was again the prosecuting attorney 1825-1828 and judge of the seventh judicial circuit 1830 and 1831. He served as the receiver of the land office at Vincennes 1838-1842 and was again a judge from 1844 to 1850, when he resigned. Law moved to

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

in 1851. He invested in large tracts of land and was an author. He was appointed by President Franklin Pierce judge of the court of land claims and served from 1855 to 1857. He was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-seventh and Thirty-eighth Congresses (March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1865) but was not a candidate for renomination in 1864. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law. He died in Evansville, Indiana 1873 and was buried in Greenlawn Cemetery, Vincennes, Indiana.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Law, John (representative) 1796 births 1873 deaths Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives People from Vincennes, Indiana Yale College alumni Politicians from New London, Connecticut Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana Indiana state court judges 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges