James Tallmadge Jr. (January 28, 1778 – September 29, 1853) was a United States

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, and politician who served as a

United States Representative 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 New York's 4th congressional district.

Early life

James Tallmadge Jr. was born on January 28, 1778, in

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later org ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. His father, Colonel James Tallmadge (1744–1821), led a company of volunteers at the capture of General

John Burgoyne General (United Kingdom), General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British Army officer, playwright and politician who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1761 to 1792. He first saw acti ...

. He graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

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 ...

in 1798.

Career

From 1798 to 1800, following his graduation from Brown, Tallmadge was secretary to New York Governor George Clinton. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1802, after which he practiced in

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Town of Poughkeepsie, New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie is in the Hudson River Valley region, midway between the core of the New ...

and in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He was Surrogate of

from 1804 to 1810. He served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and commanded a company of home guards in defense of New York.

U.S. House of Representatives

Representative-elect Henry B. Lee died on September 16, 1816. In the special election to replace him, Tallmadge was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

to the

Fifteenth Congress The 15th 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 the Old Brick Capitol in Washingto ...

. He served from June 6, 1817, to March 3, 1819. In the House, he defended General

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

's course in the

Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

. His most famous action in Congress was the

Tallmadge Amendment The Tallmadge Amendment was a proposed amendment to a bill regarding the admission of the Territory of Missouri as a state, under which Missouri would be admitted as a free state. The amendment was submitted in the U.S. House of Represent ...

to the bill for

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

statehood. It would have restricted

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

in Missouri and provided for its future termination. It read as follows:

And provided, That the further introduction of slavery or involuntary servitude be prohibited, except for the punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been fully convicted; and that all children born within the said State, after the admission thereof into the Union, shall be free at the age of twenty-five years.

In support of this amendment, on February 16, 1819, he delivered a powerful speech in opposition to the extension of slavery.''Annals of Congress'', House of Representatives, 15th Congress, 2nd Session
1203-1214
/ref> This speech was widely circulated, and was translated into

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. The House adopted the Tallmadge Amendment, but the Senate rejected it.

Later career

Tallmadge declined to run for a second term in the House. He continued the practice of law in New York City, and took a prominent role in civic affairs. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1821, a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

in 1824, and

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a Constitution of New York, constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governo ...

from 1825 to 1826. In 1836, he visited

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, and helped introduce into that country several American mechanical inventions, especially cotton-spinning machinery. He was a delegate to the New York Constitutional Convention of 1846.

Personal life

Tallmadge married Laura Tallmadge (1788–1824), his paternal second cousin. She was the daughter of John Tallmadge (1757–1823) and Phebe Pomeroy (1766–1842). Together, they had six children, only one who survived to adulthood. *John James Tallmadge (1811–1819) *Mary Rebecca Tallmadge (1817–1872), who was regarded as one of the most beautiful women in the country, and accompanied her father to Russia. She married Philip Stephen Van Rensselaer (1806–1871), third son of Stephen Van Rensselaer III,

patroon In the United States, a patroon (; from Dutch '' patroon'' ) was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th-century Dutch colony of New Netherland on the east coast of North America. Through the Charter of Free ...

of the

Rensselaerswyck Rensselaerswyck was a Dutch colonial patroonship and later an English manor owned by the van Rensselaer family located in the present-day Capital District of New York in the United States. The estate was originally deeded by the Dutch West In ...

. Tallmadge died on September 29, 1853, in New York City. He is buried at the New York Marble Cemetery. His first cousin was United States Senator and Wisconsin Territorial Governor Nathaniel P. Tallmadge. His first cousin, once removed was

Benjamin Tallmadge Benjamin Tallmadge (February 25, 1754 – March 7, 1835) was an American military officer, spymaster, and politician. He is best known for his service as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He acted as lead ...

, United States Congressman from Connecticut and spy for George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. His sister, Rebecca, married Theodorus Bailey, a United States Congressman and United States Senator from New York.

Legacy

He assisted in the founding of

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

in 1831. The university conferred an honorary

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

on him in 1838. He was also one of the founders of the American Institute, a New York society for the promotion of inventions and technical education, and was its president from 1831 to 1850. His only surviving grandchild, James Tallmadge Van Rensselaer, was a well-known lawyer in New York City.

References

;Notes ;Sources

Political Graveyard

Biographical Directory {{DEFAULTSORT:Tallmadge, James Jr. 1778 births 1853 deaths Brown University alumni People from Stanford, New York Members of the New York State Assembly Lieutenant governors of New York (state) New York (state) lawyers Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives