James Meacham

{{Infobox officeholder

|name= James Meacham

|image= James Meacham.jpg

|office1= Member of the
United States House of Representatives
from Vermont's 1st district

|term_start1= March 4, 1853

|term_end1= August 23, 1856

|predecessor1= Ahiman L. Miner

|successor1= George Tisdale Hodges

|office2= Member of the
United States House of Representatives
from Vermont's 3rd district

|term_start2= December 3, 1849

|term_end2= March 3, 1853

|predecessor2= George Perkins Marsh

|successor2= Alvah Sabin

|birth_date= {{Birth date|1810|8|16|mf=y}}

|birth_place= Rutland Town, Vermont, US

|death_date= {{Death date and age|1856|8|23|1810|8|16|mf=y}}

|death_place= Rutland Town, Vermont

|spouse= Caroline Eliza Bottum (m. 1842-1843, her death)
Mary Gifford (m. 1845-1856, his death)

|children = 3

|profession= Clergyman

|alma_mater= Middlebury College
Andover Theological Seminary

|party = Whig (before 1854)
Opposition (from 1854)

}}

James Meacham (August 16, 1810 – August 23, 1856) was an American politician, minister and professor. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont from 1849 until his death.

Early life

Meacham was born in Rutland Town, Vermont to Lewis and Naomi Eayres Meacham. He attended the academy in St. Albans, Vermont and graduated from Middlebury College in 1832. He and taught at Castleton Seminary from 1832 to 1833 and St. Albans Academy from 1833 until 1834.{{cite book| last=Middlebury College| title=Catalogue of officers and students of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont: and of others who have received degrees, 1800-1915| year=1917| publisher=Middlebury College| pages=99| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TapBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA99 }}{{cite book| last=Lanman| first=Charles| title=Biographical annals of the civil government of the United States: during its first century. From original and official sources| year=1876| publisher=J. Anglim| pages=[https://archive.org/details/biographicalann00lanmgoog/page/n321 289]| url=https://archive.org/details/biographicalann00lanmgoog }} He was a tutor at Middlebury College from 1836 until 1838.{{cite book| last=Middlebury College| title=Catalogue of the officers and alumni of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont: and all others who have received degrees, 1800 to 1889| year=1890| publisher=The Register Co.| pages=[https://archive.org/details/catalogueoffice03collgoog/page/n77 71]| url=https://archive.org/details/catalogueoffice03collgoog }}

From 1834 until 1836, Meacham studied for the ministry at Andover Theological Seminary. He was ordained as a Congregational minister in 1838 and assumed duties as pastor of the church in New Haven, Vermont, where he served 1839 to 1846.{{cite book| last=Vermont Historical Society| title=Vermont History| year=1918| publisher=Vermont Historical Society| pages=124| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Z8yAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA124 }}{{cite web| url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000613| title=MEACHAM, James, (1810 - 1856)| publisher= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress| accessdate= December 16, 2012 }} He was also a tutor and professor of Rhetoric and English Literature at Middlebury College from 1846 to 1850.{{cite book| last=Middlebury College| title=Catalogue of the graduates of Middlebury College: embracing a biographical register and directory| year=1853| publisher=The Vermont Chronicle Press| pages=[https://archive.org/details/cataloguegradua00collgoog/page/n96 90]| url=https://archive.org/details/cataloguegradua00collgoog }}

Political career

Meacham was elected to Congress as a Whig in 1849 and filled the vacancy caused by the resignation of George P. Marsh during the 31st United States Congress. Meacham was reelected to the 32nd and 33rd Congresses. After the demise of the Whig Party, in 1854 he was reelected to the 34th United States Congress as an Opposition Party candidate. He served in Congress from December 3, 1849 until his death on August 23, 1856.{{cite web| url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/james_meacham/407602| title = Rep. James Meacham| publisher= Govtrack.us |accessdate= December 16, 2012}}{{cite book| last=Poore| first=Benjamin Perley| title=The political register and congressional directory: a statistical record of the federal officials, legislative, executive, and judicial, of the United States of America, 1776-1878| year=1878| publisher=Houghton, Osgood| pages=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924028697815/page/n545 530]| url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028697815 }} Meacham was chairman for the Committee on the District of Columbia in the 34th Congress.

He was a trustee of Middlebury College from 1855 until 1856,{{cite book| last=Middlebury College| title=Catalogue of the officers and alumni of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont: and all others who have received degrees, 1800 to 1889| year=1890| publisher=The Register Co.| pages=[https://archive.org/details/catalogueoffice03collgoog/page/n77 71]| url=https://archive.org/details/catalogueoffice03collgoog }} and was a regent at the Smithsonian Institution from 1852 until 1856.{{cite web| url=http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_11215?back=%2Fcollections%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3D%2522Smithsonian%2BInstitution.%2BLibraries.%2522%26facets%3DEXP_15%26page%3D1%26perpage%3D10%26sort%3Drelevancy%26view%3Dlist| title = Meacham, James (8/16/1810-8/23/1856)| publisher= Smithsonian Institution Archives |accessdate= December 16, 2012}}

Personal life

Meacham married Caroline Bottum on May 17, 1842. They had one child, Elias B. (1843-1844). Following Caroline's 1843 death, on February 20, 1845 Meacham married Mary Gifford. They were the parents of two children, Emma P., the wife of William H. Davis, and Lewis Henry (1846-1878).{{cite web| url=http://genforum.genealogy.com/meacham/messages/599.html| title = Re: James Meacham In Congress in 1849 Whig| publisher= Ancestry.com |accessdate= December 16, 2012}}

Death and burial

Meacham died in Rutland on August 23, 1856. He was interred at West Cemetery in Middlebury.{{cite web| url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/mcredmond-meachem.html#678.39.20| title = Meacham, James (1810-1856)| publisher= The Political Graveyard |accessdate= December 16, 2012}} A cenotaph in his memory is located at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.{{cite web| url= https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22692| title = James Meacham| publisher= Find A Grave| accessdate= December 16, 2012}}

References

External links

{{Internet Archive author |sname=James Meacham}}
[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000613 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]
{{Find a Grave|22692}}
[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/james_meacham/407602 Govtrack.us]
[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/mcredmond-meachem.html#678.39.20 The Political Graveyard]

{{US House succession box

| state=Vermont

| district=3

| before=George P. Marsh

| years=1849-1853

| after=Alvah Sabin}}

{{US House succession box

| state=Vermont

| district=1

| before=Ahiman L. Miner

| years=1853-1856

| after=George T. Hodges}}