Rufus P. Spalding

Rufus P. Spalding

Rufus Paine Spalding (born May 3, 1798 in West Tisbury , Dukes County , Massachusetts , †  August 29, 1886 in Cleveland , Ohio ) was an American lawyer and politician . Between 1863 and 1869 he represented the state of Ohio in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Rufus Spalding graduated from Yale College in 1817 . After studying law and being admitted to the bar, he began to work in this profession. He practiced first in 1820 in Little Rock ( Arkansas ) and then from 1821 to 1835 in Warren (Ohio). Then he moved to Ravenna . Between 1839 and 1842 he was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives , whose speaker he was meanwhile. From 1849 to 1852 he served as an associate judge on the Supreme Court of Ohio . He then worked as a lawyer in Cleveland. Politically, he first became a member of the Democrats . He was an opponent of the expansion of slavery . On this issue he fell out with his party and switched to the Free Soil Party . In the decade before the civil war , he stood up for the slaves who had fled the south and represented escape helpers in court. He was a staunch opponent of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 . Consistent with his political views on slavery, Spalding joined the Republican Party, founded in 1854 . He was also involved in founding the Party for Ohio.

In the congressional elections of 1862 Spalding was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 18th  electoral district of Ohio , where he succeeded Sidney Edgerton on March 4, 1863 . After two re-elections, he was able to complete three legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1869 . These were shaped by the events of the civil war until 1865. Since 1865, the work of Congress has been overshadowed by tension between Republicans and President Andrew Johnson , which culminated in a narrowly unsuccessful impeachment trial. In 1865 and 1868, the 13th and 14th amendments were ratified. Spalding was a supporter of President Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated in 1865 . Many of his proposals for reconstruction were accepted and implemented by Congress. In 1868 he renounced another congressional candidacy.

After his time in the US House of Representatives, Rufus Spalding returned to work as a lawyer. He died on August 29, 1886 in Cleveland, where he was also buried.

Web links

Commons : Rufus P. Spalding  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Rufus P. Spalding in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Rufus P. Spalding in the database of Find a Grave (English)