James M. Birney
Encyclopedia
James M. Birney was a politician from the U.S. state
of Michigan
.
, the eldest son of Agatha (McDowell) and James Gillespie Birney, who was a presidential candidate for the Liberty Party
in the 1840 and 1844 elections. James M. Birney spent his early years in Alabama
and Kentucky. He was educated at Centre College
in Danville and in 1836 graduated from Miami University
in Oxford, Ohio
. For the next two years, he was employed by the university as a professor of the Greek
and Latin
languages. After this, he studied law at Yale College
in New Haven, Connecticut
. While in New Haven, Birney married Amanda Moulton, the stepdaughter of Nathaniel Bacon, Esq. of New Haven.
Completing his studies, Birney moved to Cincinnati, Ohio
and began the practice of law until 1856, when he succeeded to his father's business interests in the Saginaw Valley of Michigan, where his father had made large investments in what has become Bay City
. He moved there with his family in the summer of 1857. One of Birney's most notable early acts of public service was procuring the passage in 1857 of an act in the state legislature changing the name of "Lower Saginaw" to Bay City. In 1856, Birney had the distinction of editing the city's first newspaper, the Bay City Press, which lasted for only a few weeks.
In 1858, Birney was nominated as a Republican
as a candidate for the Michigan Senate
. At the time, the senate district was regarded as a stronghold of the Democratic Party
. Thus it was seen as a significant achievement that Birney garnered all of the votes in the district within Bay County
except for five. He served a single term in the Senate representing the Saginaw district. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the committee on public instruction and a member of the judiciary committee.
In 1860, he was nominated by the state Republican convention
as the candidate for Lieutenant Governor
with Austin Blair
as candidate for Governor. Birney was elected to office by a majority of over 20,000 votes. While serving as Lieutenant Governor, a vacancy occurred in Michigan's 10th circuit court, and the governor offered the position to him. Birney resigned as Lieutenant Governor April 3, 1861, to accept the judicial appointment and served in that position for four years. He lost in the next judicial election and was succeeded by Jabez G. Sutherland
.
After leaving the bench, Birney established the Bay City Chronicle in 1871 as a weekly Republican paper and in June 1873, began publishing the Morning Chronicle. He was also a delegate to Republican National Convention
from Michigan in 1872.
In 1872, Governor Henry P. Baldwin
nominated Birney to U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant
as Centennial Commissioner for Michigan to celebrate the Hundredth Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
in 1876. However, he was unable to serve in this capacity, as he was appointed on December 17, 1875 as U.S. Minister to the Netherlands
. He departed for The Hague
in 1876 and served until 1882.
Birney died in 1888 and is interred at Pine Ridge Cemetery of Bay City. He had five children with his wife Amanda: James G. Birney, Arthur Moulton Birney, Sophia Hull (Blackwell), Alice (Mrs. Frank Blackwell) and one child that died in infancy. The eldest, James G., distinguished himself as Captain in the 7th Regiment of Michigan Volunteers, and died while an officer of the U.S. regular army.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Biography
Birney was born in Danville, KentuckyDanville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
, the eldest son of Agatha (McDowell) and James Gillespie Birney, who was a presidential candidate for the Liberty Party
Liberty Party (1840s)
The Liberty Party was a minor political party in the United States in the 1840s . The party was an early advocate of the abolitionist cause...
in the 1840 and 1844 elections. James M. Birney spent his early years in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and Kentucky. He was educated at Centre College
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
in Danville and in 1836 graduated from Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in Oxford, Ohio
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
. For the next two years, he was employed by the university as a professor of the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
languages. After this, he studied law at Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. While in New Haven, Birney married Amanda Moulton, the stepdaughter of Nathaniel Bacon, Esq. of New Haven.
Completing his studies, Birney moved to Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
and began the practice of law until 1856, when he succeeded to his father's business interests in the Saginaw Valley of Michigan, where his father had made large investments in what has become Bay City
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
. He moved there with his family in the summer of 1857. One of Birney's most notable early acts of public service was procuring the passage in 1857 of an act in the state legislature changing the name of "Lower Saginaw" to Bay City. In 1856, Birney had the distinction of editing the city's first newspaper, the Bay City Press, which lasted for only a few weeks.
In 1858, Birney was nominated as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
as a candidate for the Michigan Senate
Michigan Senate
The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. The Senate consists of 38 members, who are elected from constituencies having approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents....
. At the time, the senate district was regarded as a stronghold of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. Thus it was seen as a significant achievement that Birney garnered all of the votes in the district within Bay County
Bay County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 110,157 people, 43,930 households, and 30,048 families residing in the county. The population density was 248 people per square mile . There were 46,423 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile...
except for five. He served a single term in the Senate representing the Saginaw district. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the committee on public instruction and a member of the judiciary committee.
In 1860, he was nominated by the state Republican convention
Michigan Republican Party
The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan. It is sometimes referred to as MIGOP, which simply means Michigan Grand Old Party....
as the candidate for Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...
with Austin Blair
Austin Blair
Austin Blair , also known as the Civil War Governor, was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan...
as candidate for Governor. Birney was elected to office by a majority of over 20,000 votes. While serving as Lieutenant Governor, a vacancy occurred in Michigan's 10th circuit court, and the governor offered the position to him. Birney resigned as Lieutenant Governor April 3, 1861, to accept the judicial appointment and served in that position for four years. He lost in the next judicial election and was succeeded by Jabez G. Sutherland
Jabez G. Sutherland
Jabez Gridley Sutherland was a politician and judge from the U.S. state of Michigan.Sutherland was born in Van Buren, New York. He completed preparatory studies, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1848...
.
After leaving the bench, Birney established the Bay City Chronicle in 1871 as a weekly Republican paper and in June 1873, began publishing the Morning Chronicle. He was also a delegate to Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
from Michigan in 1872.
In 1872, Governor Henry P. Baldwin
Henry P. Baldwin
Henry Porter Baldwin , a descendant of pilgrim father Nathaniel Baldwin, was the 15th Governor of Michigan and U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan.-Early life in Rhode Island:...
nominated Birney to U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
as Centennial Commissioner for Michigan to celebrate the Hundredth Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
in 1876. However, he was unable to serve in this capacity, as he was appointed on December 17, 1875 as U.S. Minister to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He departed for The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in 1876 and served until 1882.
Birney died in 1888 and is interred at Pine Ridge Cemetery of Bay City. He had five children with his wife Amanda: James G. Birney, Arthur Moulton Birney, Sophia Hull (Blackwell), Alice (Mrs. Frank Blackwell) and one child that died in infancy. The eldest, James G., distinguished himself as Captain in the 7th Regiment of Michigan Volunteers, and died while an officer of the U.S. regular army.