Lazarus Denison Shoemaker (November 5, 1819 – September 11, 1893) was an American politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

who 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

U.S. 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 ...

for

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, which includes Pittsburgh and much of Allegheny County. It has been represented since January 3, 2023 by Summer Lee. Prior to 2018, the 12th district was located ...

from 1871 to 1875.

Biography

Lazarus D. Shoemaker was born in

Kingston, Pennsylvania Kingston is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite the city of Wilkes-Barre. Kingston was first settled in the early 1770s; it was incorporated as a borough in ...

on November 5, 1819 to Elijah and Elisabeth S. (Denison) Shoemaker. He attended Nazareth Hall in

Nazareth, Pennsylvania Nazareth is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The borough's population was 6,053 at the 2020 census. Nazareth is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th most populous metropoli ...

, and

Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is ...

in Gambier, Ohio. He 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 1840. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1842 and commenced practice in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...

. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 12th district from 1867 to 1870. Shoemaker was elected as a Republican to the Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses. He served as chairman of the

United States House Committee on Revolutionary Pensions The United States House Committee on Revolutionary Pensions was a U.S. House committee, established on January 10, 1831, that superseded the defunct Committee on Military Pensions to assume jurisdiction over issues related to pensions for service ...

during the Forty-third Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1874. He resumed the practice of his profession and also engaged in banking.

Death and interment

Shoemaker died in Wilkes-Barre on September 11, 1893, and was interred in the Forty Fort Cemetery in

Forty Fort, Pennsylvania Forty Fort is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,233 at the 2020 census. Its neighbors are Wyoming (to the north), Plains Township (to the east), Kingston (to the south), and Swoyersville (to the west ...

Notes

References

The Political Graveyard
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Shoemaker, Lazarus D. 1819 births 1893 deaths 19th-century American politicians Burials in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Kingston, Pennsylvania People from the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Yale College alumni 19th-century American lawyers