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Alfred Conkling
American judge (1789–1874) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alfred Conkling (October 12, 1789 – February 5, 1874) was a United States representative from New York, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York and United States Minister to Mexico.
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Early life
Conkling was born on October 12, 1789, in Amagansett, New York.[1][2] He was the son of Benjamin Conkling and Esther Hand.[3]
He graduated from Union College in 1810 and read law in 1812.[1]
Career
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He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Johnstown, New York, from 1812 to 1813.[1] He continued private practice in Canajoharie, New York, from 1813 to 1819.[1] He was district attorney for Montgomery County, New York, from 1819 to 1821.[1]
Congressional service
Conkling was elected as a Democratic-Republican from New York's 14th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives of the 17th United States Congress, serving from March 4, 1821, to March 3, 1823.[4] Following his departure from Congress, he resumed private practice in Albany, New York, from 1823 to 1825.[1]
Federal judicial service
Conkling received a recess appointment from President John Quincy Adams on August 27, 1825, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York vacated by Judge Roger Skinner.[1] He was nominated to the same position by President Adams on December 13, 1825.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 14, 1825, and received his commission the same day.[1] While on the bench, he moved from Albany to Auburn, New York, in 1839.[4] There were several attempts to impeach him, but they failed. His service terminated on August 25, 1852, due to his resignation.[1]
Later career
Conkling was United States Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Mexico for the United States Department of State from August 6, 1852, to August 17, 1853.[1] He resumed private practice in Omaha, Nebraska, from 1853 to 1861.[1] He was a writer in Rochester and Geneseo, New York, from 1861 to 1872.[1] He was a writer in Utica, New York, from 1872 to 1874.[1]
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Personal life
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On May 5, 1812, Conkling was married to Elizabeth "Eliza" Cockburn (1791–1851). Together, they were the parents of five children, including:[5]
- Margaret Cockburn Conkling (1814–1890), who became an accomplished author, with works such as The American Gentleman's Guide To Politeness and Fashion,[6] Memoirs of the Mother and Wife of Washington, Isabel; or, Trials of the Heart and a translation of Florian's History of the Moors of Spain.[7][8]
- Frederick Augustus Conkling (1816–1891), a United States representative from New York.[9]
- Aurelian Conkling (1819–1861), who studied law and served as the Clerk of Court for the Northern District of New York in Buffalo until his death in May 1860.[citation needed] He married Harriet Adriana Schermerhorn (1815–1886), a daughter of Commissioner John F. Schermerhorn.[10]
- Eliza Conkling (1820–1868), who married Reverend Samuel Hanson Coxe, the son of abolitionist minister, author, and educator Samuel Hanson Cox.[citation needed]
- Roscoe Conkling (1829–1888), a United States Representative and United States Senator from New York.[3]
Conkling died on February 5, 1874, in Utica.[1] He was interred in Forest Hill Cemetery in Utica.[4]
Descendants and legacy
Conkling's grandson Alfred Conkling Coxe Sr. also served as United States District Judge in the Northern District of New York, and later a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit;[5] Coxe's own son (Conkling's great-grandson) Alfred Conkling Coxe Jr. was a Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.[5]
A photograph of Judge Conkling hangs in the courtroom at the United States District Court in Utica, New York.[citation needed]
See also
References
Sources
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