John Covode | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania | |
| In office February 9, 1870 – January 11, 1871 | |
| Preceded by | Vacant |
| Succeeded by | Henry Donnel Foster |
| Constituency | 21st district |
| In office March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869 | |
| Preceded by | John Littleton Dawson |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Constituency | 21st district |
| In office March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1863 | |
| Preceded by | Augustus Drum |
| Succeeded by | Glenni William Scofield |
| Constituency | 19th district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1808-03-17)March 17, 1808 West Fairfield, Pennsylvania |
| Died | January 11, 1871(1871-01-11) (aged 62) |
| Political party | Whig Republican (after 1854) |
| Signature |  |
John Covode (March 17, 1808 – January 11, 1871) was anAmerican businessman andabolitionist politician. He served three terms in theUnited States House of Representatives fromPennsylvania.
Covode was born inFairfield Township,Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He worked for several years on his father's farm, served an apprenticeship to ablacksmith, and then was employed at a woolen mill inLockport, Pennsylvania. He became owner of the woolen mill and attained considerable wealth as a woolen manufacturer.[1][2] Other business interests included the Westmoreland Coal Company, where he served as the first president of the company in 1854.[3] He served for two terms in the Pennsylvania Legislature[1](House of Representatives[2]). Two attempts to enter the Pennsylvania Senate were unsuccessful.[2]
In1854, he was elected toCongress as anOpposition Party candidate.
After joining theRepublican Party, he was re-elected to the35th Congress in1856. He was a strong supporter of theFreedmen's Bureau, theCivil Rights Act of 1866, and theReconstruction Acts. He attended theUnion National Convention inPhiladelphia in 1866. On February 21, 1868, Covode introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives toimpeachPresidentAndrew Johnson. A slightly-amended version of this resolution,was passed by the House on February 24, 1868, thereby impeaching Johnson, but theSenate did not vote to convict him inhis impeachment trial.
He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Public Expenditures from 1857 until 1859 and the United States House Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds from 1867 until 1869. He also served on theUnited States Congressional Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, in reference to theAmerican Civil War.
Covode is most famous for chairing a committee to investigate the possibility of impeaching PresidentJames Buchanan during the spring and summer of 1860. Officially titled theUnited States House Select Committee to Investigate Alleged Corruptions in Government, it is more popularly known as the Covode Committee after him.
Covode contested with Henry D. Foster the election to theForty-first Congress, neither being sworn pending the contest, as no credentials were issued by the Governor. On February 9, 1870, the House declared him duly elected, whereupon he qualified and served until his death. Covode died inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania, aged 62.
His oldest son,George H. Covode (1835–1864), was acolonel in theUnion Army during the Civil War. He died on June 25, 1864, after being shot in the arm and stomach byConfederate troops he had mistaken for Unionists.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 19th congressional district 1855–1863 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 21st congressional district 1867–1871 | Succeeded by |
| Public Buildings and Grounds (1837–1947) |  | |
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| Rivers and Harbors (1883–1947) | ||
| Roads (1913–1947) | ||
| Flood Control (1916–1947) | ||
| Transportation and Infrastructure* (1947–) | ||
| Note | * Alternately namedPublic Works in 80th through 93rd Congresses andPublic Works and Transportation in 94th through 103rd Congresses. | |
| Inquiries |   | |
|---|---|---|
| Impeachment | ||
| Impeachment trial | ||
| Other | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
