John Taylor Hamilton
John Taylor Hamilton | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 5th district | |
In office March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893 | |
Preceded by | Daniel Kerr |
Succeeded by | Robert G. Cousins |
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives | |
In office 1885-1891 | |
Personal details | |
Born | October 16, 1843 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. |
Resting place | Oak Hill Cemetery Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Sarah Ann Jones |
John Taylor Hamilton (October 16, 1843 – January 25, 1925) was a businessman from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a one-term Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa's 5th congressional district.
Early life
Hamilton was born on October 16, 1843, near Geneseo, Henry County, Illinois, to James S. Hamilton and Mary E. Taylor.[1][2] His ancestors came from Ireland, and were Scottish-Irish. James was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and later moved to Antrim, New Hampshire. John's parents were married in Henry County, Illinois, and farmed there. When James retired he moved to Geneseo, Illinois, and lived there until he died at age 77. John's mother died at age 82. The Hamiltons were Presbyterian and the Taylors were Unitarian.[2]
Hamilton got his education from
Career
In the fall of 1873, Averill sold his stock in the company to John R. Amidon, and the company was renamed Hamilton & Amidon. Hamilton was elected mayor of Cedar Rapids in 1878.[3] He served as a member of the Linn County Board of Supervisors from 1882 to 1884.[1] In May 1883 he became the president of the recently formed Cedar Rapids Savings Bank.[3] In 1885, he was elected a member of the Iowa House of Representatives and served in the 21st through 23rd assemblies.[1][3] He was speaker of the house in the 23rd assembly, until his term ended in 1891.[1][3]
In 1890, Hamilton won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House seat for Iowa's 5th congressional district, a seat that was being vacated by two-term Republican incumbent
He returned to Cedar Rapids to run a business that had changed in his absence. In Hamilton's first year in Congress, his brothers W. W. and Porter had bought Amidon's stock in his and Hamilton's agricultural implement company. The company was then renamed Hamilton Brothers.[3] On July 1, 1899, he became the president of the Merchants National Bank. He was also a stockholder and one of the owners of the Cedar Rapids Hotel Company, owner of the Montrose Hotel, and a stockholder in the Acme Fire Insurance Company.
On April 6, 1906, he was appointed as one of three members of Iowa's Board of Control of State Institutions, to finish the term of former Iowa Supreme Court Justice L. G. Kinne, who had died in office.[6] He was first appointed to that position for two years, In 1908 he was reappointed for a full six-year term, but he resigned a year later, in September 1909, citing the pressing needs of his business.[3][7]
In 1914, Hamilton ran for
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f "HAMILTON, John Taylor". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
- ^ a b c Brewer, Luther A.; Barthinius L. Wick (1911). History of Linn County Iowa Volume II. p. 52.
- ^ a b c d e f g Brewer, Luther A.; Barthinius L. Wick (1911). History of Linn County Iowa Volume II. p. 55.
- ^ Editorial, Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, 1890-11-06 at p. 2.
- ^ "The Result in the County," Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, 1892-11-10 at p. 2.
- ^ "Notes from the Capital," The Oxford Mirror, 1906-04-19 at p. 3.
- ^ "Hamilton Quits State Control Board," Eldora Semi-Weekly Herald, 1909-09-29 at p. 7.
- ^ "Cummins Wins in Primary," Estherville Vindicator and Republican, 1914-06-10 at p. 9.
- ^ "Clark Elected Governor," Estherville Democrat, 1914-11-04 at p. 1.
References
- Brewer, Luther A.; Barthinius L. Wick (1911). History of Linn County Iowa Volume II Chicago: The Pioneer Publishing Company
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress