James Fowler Simmons (September 10, 1795July 10, 1864) was a businessman and politician from Rhode Island who twice served as a

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, first as a Whig and then as a Republican. He is notable for having the Senate consider expelling him for corruption during his second term as a Senator.

Early life

Born on a farm near Little Compton, he attended a private school in Newport and moved to Providence in 1812. He was employed in various manufacturing concerns in Rhode Island and

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and engaged in the manufacture of yarn at Simmonsville (now Thornton), a village still existing in Johnston, RI, in 1822. He moved to

Johnston, Rhode Island Johnston is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 29,568 at the 2020 census. Johnston is the site of the Clemence Irons House (1691), a stone-ender museum, and the only landfill in Rhode Island. Incorpora ...

in 1827 and resumed the manufacture of yarns and engaged in agricultural pursuits; he was a member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected ...

from 1828 to 1841. His house still stands on Atwood Avenue.

United States senator

Simmons was elected as a Whig to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1841, to March 3, 1847. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Manufactures (Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Congresses) and a member of the Committee on Printing (Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Congresses).

Post-Senate career

After running unsuccessfully for reelection in 1846, Simmons returned to Johnston and resumed his former pursuits. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Senate in 1850.

Return to the U.S. Senate

Simmons was again elected to the United States Senate in 1856 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 ...

and served from March 4, 1857, through the first year of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. He was chairman of the Committee on Patents and the Patent Office during the Thirty-seventh Congress. On July 12, 1862, Senator

Joseph A. Wright Joseph Albert Wright (April 17, 1810 – May 11, 1867) was the List of governors of Indiana, tenth Governor of Indiana, governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from December 5, 1849, to January 12, 1857, most noted for his opposition to banking. ...

of Indiana submitted a resolution calling for Simmons's expulsion. Wright stated that

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

Edwin Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize ...

accused Simmons of securing a contract for two Rhode Island rifle manufacturers in exchange for a fee of $20,000 in promissory notes. Following these accusations, Congress passed a law barring members of Congress from accepting fees for services before agencies of the United States government. On July 14, the Senate Judiciary Committee issued a report stating that it found Simmons' conduct "entirely inexcusable" but that charging Simmons would be an ex post facto violation of his rights, in that his conduct had occurred before the law prohibiting it was passed. The Committee recommended that the Senate do what it felt necessary. The Senate adjourned three days later, having taken no action in Simmons' case. Simmons resigned on September 5, 1862, before the Senate could return for its December session and again take up the question of expelling him.

Later life

After his resignation, Simmons resumed his former manufacturing pursuits.

Death and burial

Simmons died in Johnston in 1864. He was buried at North End Cemetery in Providence.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, James 1795 births 1864 deaths 19th-century American politicians Burials at North Burying Ground (Providence) Members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives People from Little Compton, Rhode Island People of Rhode Island in the American Civil War Republican Party United States senators from Rhode Island Rhode Island politicians convicted of crimes Rhode Island Republicans Rhode Island Whigs Whig Party United States senators