James K. Moorhead

James Kennedy Moorhead
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania
In office
March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1869
Preceded byRobert McKnight
Succeeded byJames S. Negley
Constituency22nd
In office
March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863
Preceded byDavid Ritchie
Succeeded byJohn L. Dawson
Constituency21st
Personal details
Born(1806-09-07)September 7, 1806
Halifax, Pennsylvania, US
DiedMarch 6, 1884(1884-03-06) (aged 77)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
Resting placeAllegheny Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
Other political
affiliations		Democratic, Know Nothing
ProfessionPolitician, Canal Executive

James Kennedy Moorhead (September 7, 1806 – March 6, 1884) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Biography

James K. Moorhead was born in Halifax, Pennsylvania. He served an apprenticeship at the tanner's trade, after which he became a canal contractor. He was superintendent and supervisor on the Juniata Canal in 1828, and projected and established the first passenger packet line on the Pennsylvania Canal in 1835.[1]

In 1838 he was appointed adjutant general of Pennsylvania. He constructed the Monongahela Navigation Canal and was president of the company for twenty-one years. He was president of the Atlantic & Ohio Telegraph Co., which later became the Western Union Telegraph Company.[1]

In his early political career he was a Democrat, but defected to the Know Nothings shortly after the fall elections of 1854.[2]

He was elected as a Republican to the 36th Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses. In Congress he served as chairman to Committee on Manufactures during the 38th and 39th Congresses.[1]

On March 31, 1868, he testified in the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson, having been called as a witness by the prosecution.[3]

He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1868. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1868, and an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate in 1880.[1]

James K. Moorhead was the father of Pittsburgh financier Maxwell K. Moorhead, a member of the elite South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club of Johnstown Flood fame.[4]

He was president of the chamber of commerce of Pittsburgh from 1877 until his death in 1884, aged 77.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e United States Congress. "James K. Moorhead (id: M000929)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.. Retrieved on 2009-5-12
  2. ^ Holt, Michael F. (1969). Forging a Majority: The Formation of the Republican Party in Pittsburgh, 1848–1860. Yale University Press. pp. 70, 93, 140, 156.
  3. ^ Extracts from the Journal of the United States Senate In All Cases of Impeachment Presented By The United States House of Representatives (1798-1904). Washington Government Printing Office. 1912. p. 231.
  4. ^ Landmarks Design Associates, Architects; Wallace, Roberts & Todd (1993). Clubhouse, Brown Cottage, Moorhead Cottage, Clubhouse Annex: South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club, St. Michael, Pennsylvania. Vol. 2. U.S. National Park Service. p. 415.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 21st congressional district
March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 22nd congressional district
March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1869 		Succeeded by