John W. Longyear

John Wesley Longyear (22 October 1820 in New York, U.S. - 11 March 1875 in Michigan, U.S.) was an American politician and judge for the U.S. state of Michigan.

Longyear was born in Shandaken, New York on 22 October 1820, the son of Petrus Longyear (also known as Peter Longyear, 1784-1845), of Dutch heritage, and Jerusha Longyear (née Jerusha Stevens), of English heritage.[1] The Longyears were descendants of Jacob Longyear, Sr. (also known as Jacob Langjaer), an 18th century immigrant to New York from Holland.[2] He had at least one sibling, a brother Ephraim (1827-1889). Their family lived on a farm near Esopus Creek and later, in Stanford and Sidney Plains in Delaware County before ultimately moving to Alaiedon Township in Michigan to live on a farm there in 1843.

He pursued classical studies in the Lima Academy of Lima, New York, and taught school for several years. In 1844, he moved to Mason, Michigan, where he taught school and studied law. He was admitted to the Ingham County bar in 1846. The following year, he moved to Lansing, Michigan, and engaged in the practice of law.

Longyear was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 3rd congressional district to the 38th and 39th United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1863 to March 3, 1867. He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings during his term in Congress. He was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1866. He was delegate to the Loyalist Convention at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1866 and to the Michigan State constitutional convention in 1867.

On February 7, 1870, Longyear was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant to serve as judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. In 1871, he moved to Detroit where he died in 1875. He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery, Lansing, Michigan.

Longyear was married to Harriet Munro, with whom he had at least four children: John Munro Longyear, Sr., Dr. Howard Longyear, James Longyear, and Ida Stevens Longyear (1859-1947). Longyear is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Lansing, Michigan, alongside Harriet and Ida.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society (1908). Michigan Historical Collections. Michigan State Historical Society. p. 194.
  2. ↑ Brink, Benjamin Myer (1912). Olde Ulster: An Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Volume 8. p. 124.
  3. ↑ "Ida Stevens Longyear (1859-1947) Grave Site | BillionGraves". BillionGraves. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  • United States Congress. "John W. Longyear (id: L000434)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  • Works by or about John W. Longyear at Internet Archive
  • The Political Graveyard
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Francis W. Kellogg		 United States Representative for the 3rd Congressional District of Michigan
1863 – 1867		 Succeeded by
Austin Blair
Legal offices
Preceded by
Ross Wilkins		 Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
1870–1875		 Succeeded by
Henry Billings Brown
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