James Schoolcraft SHERMAN, Congress, NY (1855-1912)

SHERMAN, James Schoolcraft, a Representative from New York and a Vice President of the United States; born in Utica, N.Y., October 24, 1855; attended the public schools; pursued academic and collegiate courses and graduated from Hamilton College, Clinton, N.Y., in 1878; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1880 and commenced practice in Utica, N.Y.; president of the Utica Trust & Deposit Co. and of the New Hartford Canning Co.; mayor of Utica 1884; elected as a Republican to the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Congresses (March 4, 1887-March 3, 1891); chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs (Fifty-fourth through Sixtieth Congresses); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890 to the Fifty-second Congress; elected to the Fifty-third and to the seven succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1893-March 3, 1909); was not a candidate for reelection, having been nominated as the Republican candidate for Vice President on the ticket with William Taft; elected Vice President of the United States in 1908 and served from March 4, 1909, until his death; had been renominated for Vice President in June 1912; died in Utica, Oneida County, N.Y., October 30, 1912; interment in Forest Hill Cemetery.

Bibliography

Dictionary of American Biography; American National Biography; Schlup, Leonard. “The Pulse of Old Guard Politics: James S. Sherman and the 1908 Republican Ticket.” Social Science Quest 5 (Summer 1988): 9-22.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present