John Hickman | |
|---|---|
 Hickman in 1859 | |
| Member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives from theChester County district | |
| In office 1868–1868 Serving with James M. Phillips andStephen M. Meredith | |
| Preceded by | William Bell Waddell,Nathan J. Sharpless,Nathan A. Pennypacker |
| Succeeded by | James M. Phillips, Stephen M. Meredith,Archimedes Robb |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's6th district | |
| In office March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1863 | |
| Preceded by | William Everhart |
| Succeeded by | John Dodson Stiles |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1810-09-11)September 11, 1810 |
| Died | March 23, 1875(1875-03-23) (aged 64) |
| Resting place | Oaklands Cemetery |
| Party | Democratic Anti-Lecompton Democratic Republican |
| Occupation |
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| Signature | .jpg) |
John Hickman (September 11, 1810 – March 23, 1875) was aRepublican,Democratic andAnti-Lecompton Democratic member of theU.S. House of Representatives forPennsylvania's 6th congressional district from 1855 to 1863.
John Hickman was born on September 11, 1810, inWest Bradford Township, Pennsylvania. His father was a farmer. Hickman was taught English and classical studies by private tutors. He began studying medicine but abandoned it for the study of law. He studied law underTownsend Haines and wasadmitted to the bar in 1832 or 1833.[1][2][3]
Hickman commenced practice inWest Chester. He was a delegate to the Democratic convention at Baltimore in1844. He served as district attorney forChester County, in 1845 and 1846.[1]
Hickman was elected as a Democrat to theThirty-fourth andThirty-fifth Congresses, as anAnti-Lecompton Democrat to theThirty-sixth Congress, and as a Republican to theThirty-seventh Congress. He served as chairman of theUnited States House Committee on Revolutionary Pensions during the Thirty-fifth Congress and theUnited States House Committee on the Judiciary during the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses.[1] At the1860 Republican National Convention, Hickman finished 3rd in the race for the vice-presidential nomination, behindHannibal Hamlin andCassius Clay.[4]
At a political dinner in Philadelphia a week afterSouth Carolina declared secession from the Union, Hickman made a fiery speech calling for war, reported on the front page of thePhiladelphia Inquirer on December 29, 1860:[5]
The time for action has arrived; every man must define his position; there is an eternal conflict between freedom andslavery; truces which will last cannot be formed between them. . . . You must now make up your minds whether to serve God orBelial. (Cheers.) . . . For myself I say distinctly —No more compromises. (Long continued applause.) I love the Constitution and the Union, but I will not buy them from an enemy. (Cries of good.) . . . South Carolina is not out of the Union, and by the blessing of Almighty God shenever will be out of the Union. (Uproarious cheers.) And if you believe as I do, she never will be out of the Union. (Cheers.) The eighteen millions of the North are not to be put down by the eight millions of the South. The prospect is indeed gloomy. We have a traitor President and a corrupt and rotten Cabinet. But with all the banded seceding States and their traitor friends, we will yet save the Union. (Cheers.) . . . The South thinks the North is craven, and our Union-saving merchants encourage that belief. I want to know whether every man is going to purchase a peace ordefend the peace. (Cheers.)
He declined to be a candidate for renomination in1862. He was one of the managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1862 to conduct the impeachment proceedings against Tennessee judgeWest H. Humphreys.[1] He was a delegate to the1872 Liberal Republican convention in Cincinnati.[2]
After his political career, Hickman resumed the practice of law and continued until 1875. He served as a Republican in thePennsylvania House of Representatives, representing Chester County in 1868.[1][3][6]
Hickman married twice. He married the sister of GeneralJohn W. Phelps.[2][7] He was friends withThaddeus Stevens.[2]
Hickman died on March 23, 1875, at his home in West Chester. He was interred inOaklands Cemetery.[1][2]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 6th congressional district 1855–1863 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
| People | |
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