James Davenport (Connecticut congressman)

James Davenport (October 12, 1758 – August 3, 1797) was an eighteenth-century American lawyer, politician and judge. He served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut.

James Davenport
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's At-large district
In office
December 5, 1796 – August 3, 1797
Preceded byNathaniel Smith
Succeeded bySamuel W. Dana
Member of the Connecticut Senate
In office
1790-1797
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
In office
1785-1790
Personal details
Born(1758-10-12)October 12, 1758
Stamford, Connecticut Colony, British America
DiedAugust 3, 1797(1797-08-03) (aged 38)
Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Citizenship United States
Political partyFederalist
Spouse(s)Abigail Fitch Davenport and Mehitable Coggshall Davenport
RelationsJames Davenport and John Davenport
ChildrenElizabeth Coggshall Davenport, Abigail Fitch Davenport, Mary Ann Davenport and Frances Louise Davenport
ParentsAbraham Davenport and Elizabeth (Huntington) Davenport
Alma materYale College
OccupationLawyer, Judge, Politician

Biography

Davenport was born in Stamford in the Connecticut Colony, the son of Abraham Davenport, and Elizabeth (Huntington) Davenport. He graduated from Yale College in 1777. He served in the commissary department of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War.[1] He served as judge of the court of common pleas and was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1785 to 1790.[2] Davenport served in the Connecticut State Senate from 1790 to 1797, and was a member of the Connecticut council of assistants from 1790 to 1796.[3]

He was a judge of the Fairfield County Court from 1792 until 1796.[4] He was elected as a Federalist candidate to the Fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Hillhouse, and was reelected to the Fifth Congress. Davenport served in Congress from December 5, 1796, until his death in Stamford on August 3, 1797.[5]

Personal life

Davenport married Abigail Fitch on May 7, 1780. They had one daughter together, Elizabeth Coggshall Davenport. Davenport married his second wife Mehitable Coggshall on November 6, 1790. Davenport had three daughters with Mehitable, Abigail Fitch Davenport, Mary Ann Davenport and Frances Louise Davenport.[6][7]

Davenport's uncle, also named James Davenport, was a noted clergyman.[8] Davenport's brother John Davenport also served in the United States Congress.[9]

According to the 1790 Census, Davenport was the owner of 10 slaves, making him one of the largest slaveholders in Fairfield County at the time.[10]

See also

References
  1. "DAVENPORT, James, (1758 - 1797)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  2. "Portrait of a Family: Stamford through the Legacy of the Davenports". Stamford Historical Society. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  3. "Davenport, James (1758-1797)". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  4. United States Congress (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005: The Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States, from the First Through the One Hundred Eighth Congresses, March 4, 1789, to January 3, 2005, Inclusive. Government Printing Office. p. 922.
  5. "Rep. James Davenport". Govtrack.us. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  6. "Portrait of a Family: Stamford through the Legacy of the Davenports". Stamford Historical Society. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  7. "Stamford, CT Families (1641-1935)". Ancestry.com. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  8. "DAVENPORT, James [1716-1757] -- American clergyman". Ancestry.com. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  9. "Davenport, John (1752-1830)". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  10. "1790 Federal Census". Ancestry.com. Retrieved August 24, 2019.


U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
James Hillhouse		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's at-large congressional district
1796–1797		 Succeeded by
William Edmond
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