James W. Grimes

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James Wilson Grimes
Governor of Iowa
In office
December 9, 1854 – January 13, 1858
Preceded byStephen P. Hempstead
Succeeded byRalph P. Lowe
Personal details
Born(1816-10-20)October 20, 1816
Deering, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedFebruary 7, 1872(1872-02-07) (aged 55)
Burlington, Iowa, U.S.
Resting placeAspen Grove Cemetery
Political partyWhig, Republican
Alma materDartmouth College
Profession
  • Politician
  • lawyer
Signature

James Wilson Grimes (October 20, 1816 – February 7, 1872) was an American politician, serving as the

third Governor of Iowa and a United States Senator from Iowa
.

Biography

Born in

Governor of Iowa from 1854 to 1858. While elected as a Whig in 1854, he was a guiding light in the Republican Party's establishment in Iowa in 1855 and 1856.[1]

U.S. Senate

Grimes was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate in 1859 and reelected in 1865. He served in the Senate from March 4, 1859, until December 6, 1869, when he resigned due to ill health.

In the Senate, he served as chairman of the

.

In 1861, Grimes was a member of the

peace convention held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending Civil War. In December 1861, he introduced the senate bill which led to the creation of the Medal of Honor (initially only for Navy and Marine personnel).[2]

During President

James Rood Doolittle, Daniel Sheldon Norton[5] After the trial, Congressman Benjamin Butler conducted hearings on the widespread reports that Republican senators had been bribed to vote for Johnson's acquittal. In Butler's hearings, and in subsequent inquiries, there was increasing evidence that some acquittal votes were acquired by promises of patronage jobs and cash cards.[4]

In 1869, after suffering a stroke, Grimes formally resigned from the Senate on December 6, 1869.[6]

Death and legacy

Grimes died in Burlington on February 7, 1872, aged 55. He is buried in the Aspen Grove Cemetery in Burlington.[7]

The plot of land that his home was once located on is now home to an elementary school that bears his name.[citation needed]

The town of Grimes, Iowa, is named for Grimes,[8] as well as the Grimes State Office Building in Des Moines.[9]: 206 

References

  1. ^ Cyrenus Cole, "A History of the People of Iowa," pp. 310-12 (Torch Press 1921).
  2. ^ "History and Timeline of the Medal of Honor". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  3. ^ "The Trial of Andrew Johnson, 1868".
  4. ^ a b David O. Stewart, Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy (2009), pp. 240-249, 284-299.
  5. ^ "Senate Journal. 40th Cong., 2nd sess., 16 / 26 May 1868, 943–51". A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  6. JSTOR 27551191
    . Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  7. ^ "Bioguide Search|GRIMES, James Wilson". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  8. ^ "Our Community | City of Grimes, IA". www.grimesiowa.gov. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  9. ^ Pratt, LeRoy G. (October 1, 1975). "Discovering Historic Iowa -- American Revolution Bicentennial Edition" (PDF). eric.ed.gov. Retrieved March 31, 2022.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by
James L. Thompson
Governor of Iowa

1854
Succeeded by
None
Political offices
Preceded by
Governor of Iowa

1854–1858
Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
James Harlan
Succeeded by