James M. Cavanaugh

James M. Cavanaugh

James Michael Cavanaugh (born July 4, 1823 in Springfield , Massachusetts , † October 30, 1879 in Leadville , Colorado ) was an American politician . Between 1858 and 1859 he represented the state of Minnesota in the US House of Representatives . Between 1867 and 1871 he was also a delegate for the Montana Territory in Congress .

Early years

James Cavanaugh received a college education and then worked in the newspaper industry. After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1854, he began to work in Davenport , Iowa in his new profession. That same year he moved to Chatfield , Fillmore County , Minnesota , where he also worked as a lawyer.

Political career

Cavanaugh became a member of the Democratic Party . After Minnesota joined the United States as a state, James Cavanaugh was elected to the US House of Representatives as the first MP from the 1st  constituency of the new state. He exercised this mandate between May 11, 1858 and March 3, 1859. In the congressional election of 1858 he was defeated by William Windom , the candidate for the Republican Party .

In 1861 Cavanaugh moved to the Colorado Territory , where he also worked as a lawyer. In his new home, James Cavanaugh was also involved in mining. In 1865 he was a delegate to a conference working on a constitution for the future state of Colorado. In 1866 he moved to the Montana Territory. There he was sent again to the US House of Representatives as the successor to Samuel McLean . In this Chamber of Congress he represented the interests of his new homeland between March 4, 1867 and March 3, 1871. There he stood out in 1868 with a racist speech against the Indians , in which he said in a general sense that there are no good Indians unless they are dead. Since Montana was not yet a US state at that time, Cavanaugh had none in Congress Right to vote. In 1870 he applied unsuccessfully for a new nomination for this office.

Another résumé

After the end of his political career, James Cavanaugh moved to New York City to work as a lawyer. In 1879 he moved to Leadville, Colorado. He died there on October 30th of the same year.

Web links

• James M. Cavanaugh in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• James M. Cavanaugh in the database of Find a Grave (English)