James Pollock

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James Pollock

James Pollock (born September 10, 1810 in Milton , Northumberland County , Pennsylvania , †  April 19, 1890 in Lock Haven , Pennsylvania) was an American politician and the 13th governor of the state of Pennsylvania from 1855 to 1858  .

Early years

James Pollock first attended Kilpatrick Private School in Milton. He then studied until 1831 at what is now Princeton University . After studying law and his admission as a lawyer in 1833, Pollock first worked in Milton in his new profession. In 1836 he became an assistant district attorney in Northumberland County and then an appeals judge.

Congressman and Governor

In 1844, Pollock was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC as the Whigs candidate . There he represented the 13th constituency of his state between April 5, 1844 and March 4, 1849. In Congress , he also campaigned for the construction of a transcontinental railroad. In 1850 he became a presiding judge in the Eighth Judicial District of Pennsylvania. In 1854 he was nominated by the Whigs as a candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial election. In these he was able to defeat the Democratic incumbent William Bigler and gain the office of governor. He owed his election victory to the discussion about the Kansas-Nebraska Act , which Bigler supported and which the majority of the citizens of Pennsylvania opposed. Pollock was also supported by the so Know-Nothing Party and supporters of the abstinence movement.

Pollock took up his new office on January 16, 1855. During his tenure, Pennsylvania began selling state shares in railroads and canals. This relieved the budget. At that time, a separate school ministry was also created. Through a clever economic policy, he managed to keep the effects of the economic crisis of 1857 within limits. James Pollock turned down a new candidacy in 1857 and therefore resigned on January 19, 1858 from his office.

Further life

After the end of his governorship, Pollock returned to practice as a lawyer. In the spring of 1861 he was the head of the delegation from Pennsylvania to a peace conference convened in Washington, which tried in vain at the last minute to prevent the outbreak of civil war . After the Whigs dissolved in the mid-1850s, Pollock joined the Republican Party . In 1861 he was named head of the United States Mint by President Abraham Lincoln . He held this position until 1866. Between 1869 and 1873 he was again in this office. He is considered to be the inventor of the motto " In God we trust " on US coins. The two-cent coin from 1864 was the first coin with this dedication.

Between 1879 and 1883 Pollock was employed in the Customs Service in the Port of Philadelphia . In 1886 he was the federal returning officer in that year's elections. Pollock was a religious person who served as President of the American Sunday School Union from 1855 until his death in 1890 . The above-mentioned dedication “In God we trust” on the coins should also be understood against this background. James Pollock died in April 1890. He was married to Sarah Ann Hepburn, with whom he had eight children.

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personal data
SURNAME Pollock, James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH September 10, 1810
PLACE OF BIRTH Milton , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH April 19, 1890
Place of death Lock Haven , Pennsylvania