John Rea (politician)

John Rea (born January 27, 1755 in Chambersburg , Franklin County , Province of Pennsylvania , †  February 26, 1829 ibid) was an American politician . Between 1803 and 1811 and again from 1813 to 1815 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives .

Career

John Rea attended the public schools in his home country. In the 1770s he joined the American Revolution . During the Revolutionary War he served in the Cumberland County Militia . He rose to the rank of captain. In 1784 he was appointed a coroner in Franklin County. At the same time he embarked on a political career. Between 1785 and 1802 he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives eight times . In 1793 and 1794 he was district auditor. He became a member of the Democratic Republican Party founded by Thomas Jefferson in the late 1790s .

In the 1802 congressional election , Rea was elected to the 7th constituency of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , where he succeeded Thomas Boude on March 4, 1803 . After three re-elections, he was able to complete four legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1811 . During this time, the Louisiana Purchase made by President Jefferson in 1803 significantly expanded the territory of the United States. In 1804 the twelfth amendment was ratified. In 1810, John Rea was not re-elected.

During the British-American War of 1812 he was Major General in the State Militia. After the death of MP Robert Whitehill , Rea was elected as his successor to the US House of Representatives at the due by-election in the fifth district of Pennsylvania, where he took up his new mandate on May 11, 1813. By March 3, 1815 he was able to end the current legislative period in Congress. He saw how the congress building was burned down by the British in 1814 while the war was still ongoing.

In 1823 and 1824, Rea was a member of the Pennsylvania Senate . After that, he retired. He died in Chambersburg on February 26, 1829.

Web links

• John Rea in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• John Rea in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Thomas Boude	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (7th constituency) March 4, 1803 - March 3, 1811	William Piper
Robert Whitehill	United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania (5th constituency) with William Crawford May 11, 1813 - March 3, 1815	William Maclay