James Buffington (March 16, 1817 – March 7, 1875) (also known as "''Buffinton''") was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. He was born in

Fall River Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

on March 16, 1817. He attended the common schools, and Friends College in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

. He studied medicine but never practiced, then engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was a member of the Fall River Board of Selectmen from 1851 to 1854, and served as the first

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Fall River under the new city government from 1854 to 1855. He was elected as a candidate of the American Party to the Thirty-fourth Congress and as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1863). Buffington was chairman of the Committee on Accounts (Thirty-seventh Congress, Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses), and the Committee on Military Affairs (Thirty-seventh Congress). Buffington was mustered into the service April 24, 1861, and discharged June 15, 1861. He was not a candidate for renomination to Congress in 1862. He was a special agent of the

United States Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

and was an internal revenue collector for the district of Massachusetts 1867–1869. Buffington was elected to the Forty-first and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1869, until his death in Fall River on March 7, 1875. His interment was in Oak Grove Cemetery in

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* * 1817 births 1875 deaths Politicians from Fall River, Massachusetts Mayors of Fall River, Massachusetts Massachusetts Unionists Know-Nothing members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts 19th-century American politicians {{Massachusetts-Representative-stub

See also

See also

External links