Isaac Leffler represented Virginia's 18th congressional district

Virginia's 18th congressional district

Virginia Congressional District 18 is an obsolete congressional district. It was eliminated in 1843 after the 1840 U.S. Census. Its last Congressman was George W. Hopkins.-List of representatives:-References:*...

 in the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 for one term in the 1820s. He was the older brother of Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

 U.S. Representative Shepherd Leffler

Shepherd Leffler

Shepherd Leffler was a one of the two original U.S. Representatives from Iowa. Elected as a Democrat just as Iowa was admitted to the Union in 1846, Leffler went on to represent Iowa's 2nd congressional district in the U.S...

, who served in Congress twenty years later.

Born on his grandfather's plantation, "Sylvia's Plain," in Washington County, Pennsylvania

Washington County, Pennsylvania

-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482...

, near Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

), Leffler attended the public schools and was graduated from Jefferson College, (now Washington & Jefferson College

Washington & Jefferson College

Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...

), in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania

Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802....

.
After studying law, he was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Wheeling.
He served as member of the Virginia House of Delegates

Virginia House of Delegates

The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...

 from 1817 to 1819, 1823 to 1827, 1832, and 1833.
He served as member of the Virginia Board of Public Works

Virginia Board of Public Works

The Virginia Board of Public Works was a governmental agency which oversaw and helped finance the development of Virginia's internal transportation improvements during the 19th century. In that era, it was customary to invest public funds in private companies, which were the forerunners of the...

 in 1827.

In 1826, Leffler was elected as an Adams Party candidate to the Twentieth Congress, defeating incumbent Jacksonian

Jacksonian democracy

Jacksonian democracy is the political movement toward greater democracy for the common man typified by American politician Andrew Jackson and his supporters. Jackson's policies followed the era of Jeffersonian democracy which dominated the previous political era. The Democratic-Republican Party of...

 Joseph Johnson

Joseph Johnson (Virginia politician)

Joseph Johnson was a United States Representative and was the 32nd Governor of Virginia from 1852 to 1856. Born in Orange County, New York, he moved with his mother to Belvidere, New Jersey in 1791 and thence to Bridgeport, Virginia in 1801...

. When running for re-election in 1828, he was defeated (along with President John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...

). Although Adams was defeated by Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...

, Leffler was defeated by Anti-Jacksonian Party candidate Philip Doddridge

Philip Doddridge (Virginia)

Philip Doddridge was a U.S. Representative from Virginia.Born in Bedford County, Virginia, Doddridge was reared on a farm.He moved to Brooke County, Virginia ....

. In all, Leffler served in the U.S. House from March 4, 1827 to March 3, 1829.

In 1835, Leffler moved to that portion of Michigan Territory

Michigan Territory

The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...

 that is now Burlington

Burlington, Iowa

Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa and Middletown, Iowa and...

, Des Moines County, Iowa

Des Moines County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 40,325 in the county, with a population density of . There were 18,535 housing units, of which 17,003 were occupied.-2000 census:...

, in Iowa's southeastern corner. He was admitted to the Des Moines County bar on April 15, 1835, and practiced law.
While under Michigan's territorial governance, he was named as the chief justice of the first judicial tribunal of Des Moines County on April 11, 1836. After the creation of Wisconsin Territory

Wisconsin Territory

The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin...

 on April 20, 1836, he served in the first legislature of the new Territory in 1836 and 1837 and served as speaker in 1837. After Iowa Territory

Iowa Territory

The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa.-History:...

 was created from areas of Wisconsin Territory west of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 in 1838, he served as member of the Iowa Territory house of representatives in 1841.

President John Tyler

John Tyler

John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...

 appointed Leffler as United States marshal for the district of Iowa on December 18, 1843. He served until removed by President James K. Polk

James K. Polk

James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...

 on December 29, 1845, when he resumed the practice of law in Burlington.
He declined the appointment of register of the land office at Stillwater

Stillwater, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,143 people, 5,797 households, and 4,115 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,340.0 people per square mile . There were 5,926 housing units at an average density of 915.7 per square mile...

 (in what was then Minnesota Territory

Minnesota Territory

The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Minnesota.-History:...

) in 1849.
He was appointed by President Millard Fillmore

Millard Fillmore

Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...

 as receiver of public moneys for the Chariton land district of Iowa on August 30, 1852, and served on that position until removed by President Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...

 on March 29, 1853.
He died in Chariton, Iowa

Chariton, Iowa

Chariton is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,573 at the 2000 census. It is the primary distribution center for, and former corporate seat of, the Hy-Vee supermarket chain.-History:...

, on March 8, 1866. He was interred in Aspen Grove Cemetery, in Burlington.

Sources