Isaac P. Christiancy

Isaac P. Christiancy

Isaac Peckham Christiancy (born March 12, 1812 in Johnstown , Fulton County , New York , †  September 8, 1890 in Lansing , Michigan ) was an American lawyer and politician who represented the state of Michigan in the US Senate .

Early years

Isaac Christiancy grew up in poor conditions. His grandfather Isaac Peckham was one of the first pioneers in the Caroga area in the 18th century . Christiancy dropped out of school at the age of 13 when his father died and he had to support his family. He later worked as a teacher and then studied law . In 1836 he was inducted into the bar and moved to Monroe , Michigan, where he was employed as a clerk with the General Land Office . In November 1839 he married Elizabeth McClosky.

Between 1841 and 1846, Christiancy served as the Monroe County attorney . Politically, he originally belonged to the Democrats , which he left because of their attitude to slavery . In 1848 he took part in the Free Soil Party convention in Buffalo , for which he then sat in the Michigan Senate from 1850 to 1852 . An unsuccessful candidacy for governor of Michigan followed.

Judge and senator

In 1854 Christiancy was one of the founding members of the Republican Party in Jackson . As a Republican, he first ran for a seat in the US Senate in 1857, but failed. In the same year he acquired the Monroe Commercial and became editor of this newspaper. It was also around this time that the new Michigan Supreme Court was established. Christiancy ran for one of the judges' offices and was victorious; after being re-elected twice, he remained there until February 27, 1875. From 1872 to 1874 he was Chief Justice .

On March 4, 1875, Isaac Christiancy entered the US Senate in Washington . He had previously defeated incumbent Zachariah Chandler , also a Republican, who, as a Radical Republican, took an unyielding position against the defeated southern states in the civil war . Christiancy was more moderate in this regard. He did not end his six-year term, however, but left the Congress on February 10, 1879 for health reasons . Zachariah Chandler was again elected to succeed him.

From 1879 to 1881 Isaac Christiancy served as the United States envoy to Peru . After his return he worked as a lawyer in Lansing again. He died there in 1890. His son James fought for the Union Army in the Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor ; he died in 1899 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Web links

• Isaac P. Christiancy in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Isaac P. Christiancy in the database of Find a Grave (English)