John Charles Tarsney | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's5th district | |
| In office March 4, 1889 – February 27, 1896 | |
| Preceded by | William Warner |
| Succeeded by | Robert T. Van Horn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1845-11-07)November 7, 1845 |
| Died | September 4, 1920(1920-09-04) (aged 74) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount St. Mary’s Cemetery, Kansas City, Missouri |
| Spouse | Mary Behan (m. 1871-1917, her death) |
| Relations | Thomas A. E. Weadock (brother-in-law) |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan Law School |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America (Union) |
| Branch/service | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1862-1865 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
John Charles Tarsney (November 7, 1845 – September 4, 1920) was anAmerican politician fromMissouri and an associate justice of the Oklahoma Territory Supreme Court (1896-1899). He then returned to Kansas City, Missouri, where he had a private law practice until he died in 1920.
Tarsney was born inMedina Township,Lenawee County, Michigan, and attended aUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor.[1] After graduation, he worked on a farm until the outbreak of theCivil War. He enlisted in the4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment in August 1862. During theBattle of Gettysburg he was captured and imprisoned atBelle Isle (Richmond, Virginia), later being moved toAndersonville Prison andCamp Lawton. He escaped from Camp Lawton by temporarily taking the identity of a recently deceased soldier.[2] He returned to his regiment in January 1865 and took part in the battles atHatcher's Run andFive Forks. He also participated in the surrender ofAppomattox. Tarsney was discharged from the army in June 1865.[3]
After being discharged from military service, Tarsney attended high school inHudson,Michigan and graduated in 1867. Subsequently, he studied law at theUniversity of Michigan Law School, from which he graduated in 1869. He was admitted to the bar in the same year and practiced in Hudson. In 1872, he moved toKansas City, Missouri and served as city attorney of Kansas City in 1874 and 1875. In 1875, Tarsney became the attorney for Consolidated Street Railways of Kansas City, where he remained until 1888. His brother,Timothy E. Tarsney, was aU.S. Representative fromMichigan. In 1888, he was elected as a representative to theU.S. Congress and re-elected three more times in 1890, 1892 and 1894.
His sister Mary marriedThomas A. E. Weadock, who later became a U.S. Representative from Michigan.
Tarsney married Mary Behan, a native of Michigan.[4] Although the couple had seven children, none lived to the age of adulthood.[5]
In 1888, Tarsney was elected as aDemocrat fromMissouri's 5th congressional district to the51st United States Congress. He was subsequently re-elected to the52nd and53rd Congresses, serving from March 4, 1889, to March 3, 1895. He was chairman of theCommittee on Labor in the 52nd Congress. He presented credentials as a member-elect to the54th Congress and served from March 4, 1895, to February 27, 1896, when he was succeeded byRobert T. Van Horn, who had contested his election.
Tarsney was appointed byU.S. PresidentGrover Cleveland to serve as an associate justice of theSupreme Court ofOklahoma Territory in 1896 where he replaced JusticeJohn H. Burford.[6] The position necessitated a move toGuthrie, Oklahoma, the then capital of the Oklahoma Territory. He served as an Associate Justice until 1899 before returning to practice law in Kansas City.[7]
Tarsney died on September 4, 1920.
Tarsney is the namesake of the community ofTarsney, Missouri.[8]
One of Tarsney's most long-lasting contributions was the Tarsney Act, which permitted private architects to design federal buildings after being selected in a competition under the supervision of theSupervising Architect of theUnited States Treasury. Competitions were held for theAlexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House,Ellis Island,James Farley Post Office,Cleveland Federal Building,U.S. Post Office and Courthouse inBaltimore, Maryland, and U.S. Customhouse inSan Francisco,California (which are all now on theNational Register of Historic Places) among others. The competitions were met with enthusiasm by the architect community but were also marred by scandal as when Supervisory ArchitectJames Knox Taylor pickedCass Gilbert for the New York Customs job, as Taylor and Gilbert had both been members of the Gilbert & Taylor architecture firm inSaint Paul, Minnesota. In 1913, the act was repealed.[9]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Representative for the 5th Congressional District of Missouri 1889–1896 | Succeeded by |
| Education and Labor (1867–1883) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Education (1883–1947) | ||
| Labor (1883–1947) | ||
| Education and Labor* (1947–) | ||
| Note | * Alternately namedEconomic and Educational Opportunities in 104th Congress andEducation and the Workforce in 105th through 109th and 112th through 115th Congresses. | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
