James Pritchard | |
|---|---|
| Speaker of the Ohio Senate | |
| In office February 21, 1805 – November 30, 1806 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Symmes |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Kirker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1763-11-01)November 1, 1763 |
| Died | February 6, 1813(1813-02-06) (aged 49) |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouses |
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James Pritchard (November 1, 1763– February 6, 1813) was anAmerican Revolutionary War veteran andDemocratic-Republican politician who served in the legislatures of theNorthwest Territory, and later inOhio, and was unsuccessful in runs for congress.
James Pritchard was born November 1, 1763, inFrederick County, Maryland. He served as a private in the Maryland line during theAmerican Revolutionary War. He was married to Tabitha White, and they lived inPennsylvania before moving to theNorthwest Territory.[1]
Pritchard was an early settler inKnox Township and one of the early members of the Sugar Grove Methodist church, the first church in that township. He was a lieutenant-colonel of the county militia, and as an associate judge ofJefferson County he helped lay out the county into five townships.[1]
Pritchard was elected as the representative of Jefferson County to the House of Representatives of the Northwest Territory in 1799. He became a leader of the movement toward statehood, allied with otherRepublicansEdward Tiffin,Thomas Worthington andNathaniel Massie.[2] After a constitution was approved in 1802, elections were held for the firstOhio legislature in January, 1803. Jefferson County was the only place whereFederalists were elected, and Pritchard suspected election fraud and filed a protest, which was over-ruled.[2]
The Federalists fell out of favor in Jefferson County, and Pritchard was elected to theOhio State Senate in 1804, for a two-year term. He became Speaker of the Senate in February, 1805 whenDaniel Symmes resigned, and was chosen again for the 1805-'6 session.[3][2] He was also chosen as aPresidential elector that autumn, and cast a ballot forThomas Jefferson.[4]
In 1806 Ohio had oneAt-large congressional district, and Pritchard ran against incumbentJeremiah Morrow. He lost, failing to carry his home county.[5] After failing in election to the Ohio Senate in 1807, he won election to theOhio House of Representatives in 1808, ran for speaker, and finished second. He was elected again in 1809, and again finished second for speaker. He was re-elected in 1810.[6] During the 1810-1811 session, the legislature elected him an associate judge of Jefferson County.[6]
In 1811, Pritchard was again elected to the Ohio Senate for a two-year term.[6] He was a presidential elector in 1812, and cast a ballot forJames Madison.[7] He finished third in another run for congress in 1812.[8]
In August, 1808, Pritchard was widowed when Tabitha Pritchard died, leaving him with several children. He remarried to Sally Huston in February, 1810. Pritchard died while the legislature was meeting on February 6, 1813, inChillicothe, Ohio.[6]
| Ohio Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Senator fromJefferson County December 3, 1804-November 30, 1806 Served alongside:John Milligan (1804-'5) Benjamin Hough (1805-'6) | Succeeded by John Taggart Benjamin Hough |
| Preceded by John McLaughlin Thomas Elliott | Senator fromJefferson County December 2, 1811-February 6, 1813 Served alongside:Daniel Welch (1811-'2) Joseph McMillan (1812-'3) | Succeeded by John McLaughlin Joseph McMillan |
| Ohio House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Representative fromJefferson County December 5, 1808-December 1, 1811 Served alongside:Samuel Dunlap Thomas McCune (1808-'9) George Humphrey (1809-'10) Andrew McNealy (1810-'1) Stephen Ford (1809-'11) | Succeeded by George Day Thomas McCune James Ford |