John Wales

John Wales (born July 31, 1783 in New Haven , Connecticut , † December 3, 1863 in Wilmington , Delaware ) was an American politician ( Whig Party ) who represented the state of Delaware in the US Senate .

Life

John Wales graduated from Yale in 1801 and was subsequently inducted into the bar. He then practiced as a lawyer in his hometown of New Haven and later in Philadelphia . After two years in Baltimore , he finally settled in Wilmington in 1815. There he was initially active as secretary of the Society for the Promotion of American Manufacturers ; In 1824 he became president of the National Bank of Wilmington and Brandywine . He held this office until 1829.

politics

From 1845 to 1849, John Wales served as Secretary of State of Delaware. After the resignation of US Senator John Middleton Clayton , he was elected as his successor in Congress . He took his mandate from February 23, 1849 and ran for re-election, but lost to the Democrat James A. Bayard . So he had to leave the Senate on March 3, 1851.

As an opponent of slavery , Wales took part in the first national convention of abolitionists for the state of Delaware together with Thomas Garrett . Garrett was charged in 1848 with helping a family of slaves to escape, after which Wales defended him in the trial; however, he was unable to prevent the conviction and a fine of $ 4,500. Wales was also one of the founders of Newark College , later the University of Delaware .

Web links

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

personal data
SURNAME	Wales, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	July 31, 1783
PLACE OF BIRTH	New Haven , Connecticut
DATE OF DEATH	December 3, 1863
Place of death	Wilmington , Delaware