James Davenport | |
|---|---|
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromConnecticut'sat-large district | |
| In office December 5, 1796 – August 3, 1797 | |
| Preceded by | James Hillhouse |
| Succeeded by | William Edmond |
| Member of theConnecticut Senate | |
| In office 1790-1797 | |
| Member of theConnecticut House of Representatives | |
| In office 1785-1790 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 12, 1758 |
| Died | August 3, 1797(1797-08-03) (aged 38) Stamford,Connecticut, U.S. |
| Citizenship |  United States |
| Party | Federalist |
| Spouse(s) | Abigail Fitch Davenport and Mehitable Coggshall Davenport |
| Relations | James Davenport andJohn Davenport |
| Children | Elizabeth Coggshall Davenport, Abigail Fitch Davenport, Mary Ann Davenport and Frances Louise Davenport |
| Parent(s) | Abraham Davenport and Elizabeth (Huntington) Davenport |
| Alma mater | Yale College |
| Occupation | Lawyer,Judge,Politician |
James Davenport (October 12, 1758 – August 3, 1797) was an eighteenth-century American lawyer, politician and judge. He served as aU.S. representative from Connecticut.
Davenport was born inStamford in theConnecticut Colony, the son of Abraham Davenport, and Elizabeth (Huntington) Davenport. He graduated fromYale College in 1777. He served in the commissary department of theContinental Army in theAmerican Revolutionary War.[1] He served as judge of the court of common pleas and was a member of theConnecticut House of Representatives from 1785 to 1790.[2] Davenport served in theConnecticut State Senate from 1790 to 1797, and was a member of the Connecticut council of assistants from 1790 to 1796.[3] He simultaneously served as a judge of theConnecticut Supreme Court of Errors from 1790 to 1797.[4] He was also a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1790[5] and a 1793 special election.[6]
He was a judge of theFairfield County Court from 1792 until 1796.[7] He was elected as aFederalist candidate to the Fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation ofJames Hillhouse, and was reelected to the Fifth Congress. Davenport served in Congress from December 5, 1796, until his death in Stamford on August 3, 1797.[8]
Davenport married Abigail Fitch on May 7, 1780. They had one daughter together, Elizabeth Coggshall Davenport. Davenport married his second wife Mehitable Coggshall on November 6, 1790. Davenport had three daughters with Mehitable, Abigail Fitch Davenport, Mary Ann Davenport and Frances Louise Davenport.[2]
Davenport's uncle, also namedJames Davenport, was a noted clergyman.[9] Davenport's brotherJohn Davenport also served in the United States Congress.[10]
According to the 1790 Census, Davenport was the owner of 10 slaves, making him one of the largest slaveholders in Fairfield County at the time.[11]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromConnecticut's at-large congressional district 1796–1797 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| People | |
