James O'Donnell (politician)

James O'Donnell (born March 25, 1840 in Norwalk , Connecticut , †  March 17, 1915 in Jackson , Michigan ) was an American politician . Between 1885 and 1893 he represented the state of Michigan in the US House of Representatives .

Career

In 1848, James O'Donnell moved with his parents to Michigan, where the family settled in Jackson. There he attended the public schools; then he completed an apprenticeship in the printing trade. During the first two years of the Civil War he was a soldier in a Michigan infantry unit . From 1863 to 1866 he was a council writer ( recorder ) for the city of Jackson. In 1865, O'Donnell founded the Jackson Daily Citizen newspaper, which he published himself. He was Mayor of Jackson in 1876 and 1877; In 1878 he was on the staff of Governor Charles Croswell .

Politically, O'Donnell was a member of the Republican Party . In the congressional election of 1884 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the third constituency of Michigan , where he succeeded Edward S. Lacey on March 4, 1885 . After three re-elections, he was able to complete four legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1893 . From 1889 to 1891 he was chairman of the education committee. In the 1892 election, O'Donnell was not re-elected.

After leaving the US House of Representatives, O'Donnell returned to Jackson, where he re-edited his newspaper. He also campaigned for the cultivation of sugar beet there and is considered the founder of this agricultural branch in his home country. James O'Donnell died in Jackson on March 17, 1915.

Web links

• James O'Donnell in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)