James K. Moorhead

James K. Moorhead

James Kennedy Moorhead (born September 7, 1806 in Halifax , Dauphin County , Pennsylvania , †  March 6, 1884 in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania) was an American politician . Between 1859 and 1869 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives .

Career

James Moorhead attended public schools in his home country and then completed an apprenticeship in tanning. After that he worked for a long time in various positions in the shipping channels of his home country. First he worked there as a civil engineer. In 1828 he became head of the administration of the Juanita Canal and in 1835 he organized the first passenger traffic on the Pennsylvania Canal . He also built the Monongahela Navigation Canal, which he managed for 21 years. In the meantime he led the state militia in 1838 as Adjutant General of Pennsylvania . He also became president of Atlantic & Ohio Telegraph Co. , which would later become the Western Union . Politically, he joined the Republican Party founded in 1854 .

In the 1858 congressional election , Moorhead was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 21st  constituency of Pennsylvania , where he succeeded David Ritchie on March 4, 1859 . After four re-elections, he was able to complete five legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1869 . Since 1863 he represented the 22nd district of his state there. From 1863 to 1867, Moorhead chaired the Crafts Committee. His time as Congressman was determined by the events in the immediate run-up to the Civil War and, from 1861, by the war itself and its consequences. Since 1865, the work of Congress had been weighed down by tension between Republicans and President Andrew Johnson, which culminated in a narrowly unsuccessful impeachment trial. In addition, during Moorhead's time in Congress, the 14th and 15th amendments were ratified.

In 1868, James Moorhead renounced another congressional candidacy. After the end of his time in the US House of Representatives, he resumed his previous activities. In May 1868 he took part as a delegate at the Republican National Convention in Chicago , where Ulysses S. Grant was nominated as a presidential candidate. In 1880, Moorhead ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate . From 1877 he headed the Chamber of Commerce in Pittsburgh until his death. He died there on March 6, 1884.

Web links

• James K. Moorhead in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• James K. Moorhead in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
David Ritchie	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (21st constituency) March 4, 1859 - March 3, 1863	John Littleton Dawson
Robert McKnight	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (22nd constituency) March 4, 1863 - March 3, 1869	James Scott Negley