Joseph Hemphill | |
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.jpg) Etching of Joseph Hemphill byMax Rosenthal | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania | |
| In office March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Thomas |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Anderson,Joseph Hiester, andJohn Whitehill |
| Constituency | 3rd district |
| In office March 4, 1819 – 1826 | |
| Preceded by | William Anderson,Joseph Hopkinson,John Sergeant, andAdam Seybert |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Kittera |
| Constituency | 1st district (1819–1823) 2nd district (1823–1826) |
| In office March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831 | |
| Preceded by | Joel Barlow Sutherland |
| Succeeded by | John G. Watmough |
| Constituency | 3rd district |
| Member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives | |
| In office 1797-1800 1805 1831-1832 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1770-01-07)January 7, 1770 |
| Died | May 29, 1842(1842-05-29) (aged 72) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Federalist Jacksonian Federalist Jacksonian |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Alexander Hemphill |
Joseph Hemphill (January 7, 1770 – May 29, 1842) was an American politician who served as aFederalist member of theU.S. House of Representatives forPennsylvania's 3rd congressional district from 1801 to 1803, as a Jackson Federalist representative forPennsylvania's 1st congressional district from 1819 to 1823 and as aJacksonian representative forPennsylvania's 2nd congressional district from 1829 to 1831.
He also served as a member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives from 1797 to 1800, in 1805 and from 1831 to 1832.
Hemphill was born on January 7, 1770, to Joseph and Ann (Wills) Hemphill inThornbury Township in theProvince of Pennsylvania. He graduated from theUniversity of Pennsylvania atPhiladelphia in 1791. He studied law underThomas Ross, was admitted to the bar in 1793 and began to practice law inWest Chester, Pennsylvania.[1]
Hemphill served as a member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives from 1797 to 1800. He was elected as aFederalist member representing Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district in theSeventh Congress from 1801 to 1803.[2] He moved to Philadelphia in 1803, and again was a member of the State House of Representatives in 1805. He was appointed the first president judge of the district court of the city and county ofPhiladelphia. He was elected as a Federalist member representingPennsylvania's 1st congressional district in theSixteenth andSeventeenth Congresses from 1819 to 1823. He was elected as a Jackson Federalist member representingPennsylvania's 2nd congressional district in theEighteenth Congress, and reelected as aJacksonian to theNineteenth Congress, from 1823 until his resignation in 1826. He was elected as a Jacksonian member representingPennsylvania's 3rd congressional district in theTwenty-first Congress from 1829 to 1831.[2] He was a member of the State House of Representatives in 1831 and 1832.[3]
Hemphill introduced a bill in 1824 which called for the usage of military personnel to conduct surveys and estimate costs for construction of roads and canals.[4]
He was an anti-slavery advocate and gave a speech to Congress against slavery, especially in Missouri. He declared slavery to be "the forcible oppression of otherwise powerless people".[5]
During the Congressional debate about theIndian Removal Act, Hemphill was split between his support for PresidentAndrew Jackson and his Quaker constituency's opposition to the law.[6] He proposed delaying implementation of the act in order to conduct surveys of the land the Native Americans were to be moved to, but his proposal was voted down.[7]
In 1831, Hemphill's son, Alexander, entered into a business partnership withWilliam Ellis Tucker for his porcelain factory in Philadelphia. Tucker died in 1832 and the firm was joined by Joseph and his brother Thomas. The factory continued production under the Hemphill name until it closed in 1838.[8]
He purchased theHistoric Strawberry Mansion in Fairmount Park from JudgeWilliam Lewis in 1821 and used it as his summer home.[9] He added theGreek Revival wings to the structure and was known to entertainJohn C. Calhoun from South Carolina and theMarquis de Lafayette from France.[10]
In September, 1806, he married Margaret Coleman, daughter of the wealthy industrialistRobert Coleman from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.[1]
He died in Philadelphia on May 28, 1842, and was interred atLaurel Hill Cemetery.[11]
A descendant,Alexander Hemphill, served asCity Controller for Philadelphia from 1958 to 1968.[12]
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Media related toJoseph Hemphill at Wikimedia Commons| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 3rd congressional district March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 1st congressional district March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1823 alongside: Samuel Edwards,John Sergeant, andThomas Forrest (1819–1821) Samuel Edwards,William Milnor, andJohn Sergeant (1821–1822) Samuel Edwards,John Sergeant, andThomas Forrest (1822–1823) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 2nd congressional district March 4, 1823 – 1826 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 3rd congressional district March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831 | Succeeded by |
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