Josiah Bushnell Grinnell (December 22, 1821 – March 31, 1891) was a U.S. Congressman from

Iowa's 4th congressional district Iowa's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its northwestern part, bordering the states of Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, and the Missouri River. The district includes Sioux ...

, an ordained

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

minister, founder of

Grinnell, Iowa Grinnell is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,564 at the time of the 2020 census. It is best known for being the home of Grinnell College. History Grinnell was founded by settlers from New England who we ...

and benefactor of

Grinnell College Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College. Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-stu ...

. Grinnell was born in New Haven, Vermont, in 1821. He studied first at

Oneida Institute The Oneida Institute was a short-lived (1827–1843) but highly influential school that was a national leader in the emerging abolitionist movement. It was the most radical school in the country, the first at which black men were just as welcome ...

starting in 1841. He graduated from

Auburn Theological Seminary Auburn Theological Seminary, located in New York City, teaches students about progressive social issues by offering workshops, providing consulting, and conducting research on faith leadership development. The seminary was established in Auburn, N ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1847. He held pastorates in Washington, D.C., and New York City before moving to Iowa. Grinnell was the young man to whom

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and editor of the '' New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressman from New York ...

is quoted as having given the famous advice, "

Go West, young man Go west, young man may refer to: * " Go West, young man", a quote often attributed to American author Horace Greeley concerning America's expansion westward Film and television * ''Go West, Young Man'' (1918 film), an American comedy western film ...

." Grinnell was also involved in railway building and was instrumental in the move of

, known at the time as Iowa College, from

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality *Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta ** District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

to the newly established town of Grinnell. Grinnell married Julia Ann Chapin on February 4, 1852. They had four children: Catharine Hastings Grinnell, George Chapin Grinnell, Mary Chapin Grinnell, and Carrie Holmes Grinnell. In Iowa, Grinnell was elected to the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, ...

, where he served from 1856 to 1860. At the same time, he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1858, and set up his legal practice in Grinnell. He was a delegate to the

1860 Republican National Convention The 1860 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met May 16-18 in Chicago, Illinois. It was held to nominate the Republican Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The convent ...

that nominated

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

for President. Grinnell was also a 'conductor' on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

and was associated with John Brown. He provided shelter to John Brown in 1859 after Brown's

anti-slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

raids in

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

and

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. In 1862, after the 1860 census increased the number of U.S. House seats in Iowa from two to six, Grinnell ran for the newly created seat representing Iowa's 4th congressional district. The Fourth District was then a diamond-shaped configuration of twelve counties that included Newton and Iowa City, and ran from the Missouri border to the southern edge of Waterloo. After winning the Republican nomination and the general election in 1862, he served in the

Thirty-eighth Congress The 38th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1863, ...

. In 1864 he won re-election, serving in the

Thirty-ninth Congress The 39th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1865 ...

. On June 14, 1866, he was assaulted by fellow congressman Lovell Rousseau for insulting him and his home state of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

during a House debate. Grinnell lost the Republican nomination for a third term, losing by thirteen votes to Judge

William Loughridge William Loughridge (July 11, 1827 – September 26, 1889) was a pioneer attorney, judge, and three-term United States Congressman from Iowa. He was born in Youngstown, Ohio, where he attended the common schools. After studying law, he was a ...

in June 1866. After his service in Congress, Grinnell resumed the practice of law. He was also interested in the building of railroads, becoming a director of the

Rock Island Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

, and receiver of the Iowa Central Railroad (later the St. Louis & St. Paul Railroad). He also served as president of the Iowa State Horticultural Society and of the First National Bank in Grinnell. He died of throat disease, complicated by asthma, at his home in Grinnell on March 31, 1891. He was interred in Hazelwood Cemetery.

Works

* Articles o
his life
an
his obituary
are available from the online resources from Drake Library in Grinnell, Iowa. Many additional materials are available in the Grinnell Room Archives a

An article in the Grinnell College Undergraduate Research Journal provides many biographical details as well as an extensive reference list.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grinnell, Josiah Bushnell 1821 births 1891 deaths 19th-century American clergy 19th-century American politicians American Congregationalist ministers Auburn Theological Seminary alumni Congregationalist abolitionists Grinnell College people Republican Party Iowa state senators Oneida Institute alumni People from Grinnell, Iowa People from New Haven, Vermont People from Poweshiek County, Iowa Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa Underground Railroad people

Works

See also

References

External links