James Buffington (March 16, 1817 – March 7, 1875) (also known as "''Buffinton''") was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. He was born in Fall River on March 16, 1817. He attended the common schools, and Friends College in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. He studied medicine but never practiced, then engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was a member of the Fall River

Board of Selectmen The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the Executive (government), executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three ...

from 1851 to 1854, and served as the first

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Fall River under the new city government from 1854 to 1855. He was elected as a candidate of the American Party to the Thirty-fourth Congress and as a Republican to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1863). Buffington was chairman of the Committee on Accounts (Thirty-seventh Congress, Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses), and the Committee on Military Affairs (Thirty-seventh Congress). Buffington was mustered into the service April 24, 1861, and discharged June 15, 1861. He was not a candidate for renomination to Congress in 1862. He was a special agent of the

United States Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current U.S. government departments. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and ...

and was an internal revenue collector for the district of Massachusetts 1867–1869. Buffington was elected to the Forty-first and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1869, until his death in Fall River on March 7, 1875. His interment was in Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River.

External links

* * 1817 births 1875 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Massachusetts Politicians from Fall River, Massachusetts Mayors of Fall River, Massachusetts Massachusetts Unionists Know-Nothing members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Burials at Oak Grove Cemetery (Fall River, Massachusetts) 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Massachusetts-Representative-stub

See also

See also

External links