James Harlan (politician, 1800)

James Harlan (born June 22, 1800 in Mercer County , Kentucky , †  February 18, 1863 in Frankfort , Kentucky) was an American lawyer and politician . Between 1835 and 1839 he represented the state of Kentucky in the US House of Representatives .

Career

James Harlan attended public schools in his home country. Between 1817 and 1821 he traded in textiles. After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1823, he began to work in this profession in Harrodsburg . Harlan served as a prosecutor between 1829 and 1835. Politically, he joined US Senator Henry Clay . In the 1830s he became a member of the Whig Party . In the congressional election of 1834 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC , in the fifth constituency of Kentucky , where he succeeded Robert Letcher on March 4, 1835 . After re-election in 1836, he was able to complete two terms in Congress until March 3, 1839 .

Between 1840 and 1844, Harlan served as Secretary of State in the State Government of Kentucky. In 1845 he was elected to the House of Representatives for his state. He was then from 1850 to 1859 Attorney General in Kentucky. Harlan served as the state attorney for Kentucky from 1861 until his death in February 1863 .

James Harlan was married to Eliza Shannon Davenport (1805-1870) since 1822. The couple had nine children. Among them was the son John Marshall Harlan (1833-1911), who was between 1877 and 1911 judge on the Supreme Court of the United States .

Web links

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