Alfred Conkling

Alfred Conkling

Alfred Conkling (born October 12, 1789 in Amagansett , Suffolk County , New York , †  February 5, 1874 in Utica , New York) was an American lawyer and politician . Between 1821 and 1823 he represented the state of New York in the US House of Representatives ; he later became a federal judge in the federal district court for the northern district of New York.

Life

In 1810 Alfred Conkling graduated from Union College in Schenectady . After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1812, he began to work in this profession in Canajoharie . Between 1818 and 1821 he was a district attorney in Montgomery County . Politically, he joined the Democratic Republican Party .

In the congressional election of 1820 Conkling was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 14th  constituency of New York , where he succeeded John Fay on March 4, 1821 . Until March 3, 1823 he was able to complete a legislative period in Congress . Between 1825 and 1852 he was a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York . He lived first in Albany and then from 1829 in Auburn .

Between August 6, 1852 and August 17, 1853, Conkling served as the American envoy to Mexico . After that he settled in Omaha ( Nebraska down), where he practiced law until 1,861th He became a member of the Republican Party and was temporarily its state chairman for Nebraska. He also took part as a delegate at a constitutional convention of that state. After 1861 he returned to New York, where he dealt with literary affairs. He lived first in Rochester , then in Geneseo and finally from 1872 in Utica, where he died on February 5, 1874.

Alfred Conkling was the father of Congressmen Frederick (1816-1891) and Roscoe Conkling (1829-1888), the latter also being a US Senator .

Web links

• Alfred Conkling in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Alfred Conkling in the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges

predecessor	Office	successor
John Fay	United States House of Representatives for New York (14th constituency) March 4, 1821 - March 3, 1823	Henry R. Storrs
Roger Skinner	Federal District Court Justice for the Northern District of New York 1825–1852	Nathan K. Hall
Robert Letcher	United States Envoy to Mexico August 6, 1852 - August 17, 1853	James Gadsden