Charles Tillinghast James

Charles Tillinghast James

Charles Tillinghast James (born September 15, 1805 in West Greenwich , Kent County , Rhode Island , † October 17, 1862 in Sag Harbor , Suffolk County , New York ) was an American politician . Between 1851 and 1857 he represented the state of Rhode Island in the US Senate .

Career

Charles James attended public schools in his home country. He moved to Providence , where he completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter. But he was more interested in mechanics and technical achievements and worked as a machinist. Among other things, he also used the technology of the steam engine. He then founded several cotton mills in the states of Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania , Indiana, and Tennessee . In Rhode Island he was also a member of the state militia, where he made it to major general.

Politically, Charles James joined the Democratic Party . In 1850 he was elected as his party's candidate for the US Senate, where he succeeded Albert C. Greene on March 4, 1851 . Since he refused to run again in 1856, he could only serve a six-year term in the Senate until March 3, 1857. This period was marked by the tensions leading up to the American Civil War . James served as the chairman of the patent committee and served on the public property committee.

James continued to be interested in engineering and mechanics. He also experimented on improving firearms. His findings flowed into the weapon systems of the civil war. However, this company was also his undoing. During a demonstration of a new projectile, an explosion occurred in his laboratory in Sag Harbor, New York State, in which he and one of his employees were killed.

Web links

• Charles Tillinghast James in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Charles Tillinghast James in the database of Find a Grave (English)