George Vail

George Vail

George Vail (born July 21, 1809 in Morristown , New Jersey , †  May 23, 1875 ibid) was an American politician . Between 1853 and 1857 he represented the state of New Jersey in the US House of Representatives .

Career

George Vail came from a family who worked in the ironworking industry and ran an iron mill near Morristown. Later the family worked in the field of telegraphy and transport, among other things. The company also worked with Samuel Morse . George Vail's cousin Theodore Newton Vail (1845–1920) was the first president of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company .

Vail first attended preparatory schools and then the Morristown Academy . He then made instruments for the telegraph service. At the same time he began a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . In 1843 and 1844 he was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly . In 1851 he represented New Jersey at the World's Fair in London . In 1850 he ran unsuccessfully for Congress . In the congressional elections of 1852 Vail was then elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , in the fourth constituency of New Jersey , where he succeeded George Houston Brown on March 4, 1853 . After a re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1857. These were shaped by the events leading up to the civil war .

In 1858, Vail was created by President James Buchanan to the American consul in Glasgow ( Scotland appointed). He held this post until August 10, 1861. After his return to Morristown Jersey, he dealt with literary affairs. He was also a member of his state's pardon committee. From 1865 to 1871 he was a judge on the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals . George Vail died on May 23, 1875 in his hometown of Morristown, where he was also buried.

Web links

• George Vail in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• George Vail in the database of Find a Grave (English)