John Dennis (politician, 1771)

John Dennis

John Dennis (born December 17, 1771 in Worcester County , Province of Maryland , †  August 17, 1806 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) was an American politician . Between 1797 and 1805 he represented the state of Maryland in the US House of Representatives .

Career

John Dennis was the father of the eponymous Congressman John Dennis (1807-1859) and an uncle of Littleton Purnell Dennis (1786-1834), who also belonged to the US House of Representatives. He attended public schools in his home country and the Washington Academy and Yale College . After a subsequent law degree and his license to practice law in 1793, he began to work in Somerset County in this profession. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Federalist Party . He was initially elected to the Maryland House of Representatives for two terms .

In the congressional elections of 1796 , Dennis was elected to the eighth constituency of Maryland in the US House of Representatives, which was then still in Philadelphia, where he succeeded William Vans Murray on March 4, 1797 . After three re-elections, he was able to complete four legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1805 . During his tenure as a congressman in 1803, the Louisiana Purchase greatly expanded United States territory. In 1804 the twelfth amendment was ratified. In 1798, John Dennis was one of the MPs charged with impeaching US Senator William Blount from Tennessee . Also noteworthy is the move of Congress and government to the new federal capital Washington, DC in 1800.

After the end of his time in the US House of Representatives, John Dennis no longer appeared politically. He died in Philadelphia on August 17, 1806.

Web links

• John Dennis in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• John Dennis in the database of Find a Grave (English)