Charles Naylor (October 6, 1806December 24, 1872) was an American politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

who served as a Whig party member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

for Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district from 1837 to 1841. During the

Philadelphia nativist riots The Philadelphia nativist riots (also known as the Philadelphia Prayer Riots, the Bible Riots and the Native American Riots) were a series of riots that took place on May 68 and July 67, 1844, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and the a ...

, he was arrested while preventing militia troops from firing on nativist rioters. He raised a company of volunteers, known as the Philadelphia Rangers, and served as captain during the

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

Early life and education

Naylor was born on October 6, 1806, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania. At a young age he read

John Neal John Neal (August 25, 1793 – June 20, 1876) was an American writer, critic, editor, lecturer, and activist. Considered both eccentric and influential, he delivered speeches and published essays, novels, poems, and short stories between the 1 ...

's poem ''Battle of Niagara'' and became inspired by Neal's life. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1828 and began to practice law in Philadelphia.

Career

He held several local offices, and was an unsuccessful candidate for election in

1836 Events January–March * January 1 — Hill Street Academy is named Colombo Academy and acquired by the Government, establishing the first public school in Sri Lanka. * January 1 – Queen Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand ...

to the Twenty-fifth Congress. He was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Francis Jacob Harper. There were allegations of fraud during the election against Charles J. Ingersoll. Local election officials certified Ingersoll as the winner while state officials declared Naylor the winner. Both candidates claimed victory and appeared in Washington D.C. to claim the seat. Congress declared Naylor the winner by 775 votes and he was sworn into office. He was reelected to the Twenty-sixth Congress. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in

1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janu ...

. He resumed the practice of law. In July 1844, during the

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, he prevented militia under the command of Gen. George Cadwalader from firing on a group of nativist protesters. Naylor and several others were arrested and held within a church. By the morning of July 7, most of the soldiers had left, but the crowds, led by an alderman and the sheriff, returned and demanded that the remaining guard release Naylor. Everyone except Naylor was released. The crowds grew, and a cannon was brought from a nearby

wharf A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

and used to threaten the church. After further negotiations, Naylor was released and carried home to cheers on people's shoulders. Charles Naylor gravestone

During the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, Naylor raised a company of volunteers called the Philadelphia Rangers (also known as the "Killers and Bouncers") and served as captain. The company was praised by General Robert Patterson for their actions at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. After the war he settled in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, and continued the practice of law. He returned to Philadelphia and practiced law. He died on December 24, 1872, and was interred in

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

in Philadelphia.

Published works

*
Speech of Charles Naylor, of Pennsylvania, on the Bill Imposing Additional Duties as Depositaries, in Certain Cases on Public Officers. Delivered in the House of Representatives, United States, October 13, 1837.
', Washington: Printed at the Office of the National Register, 1837
''Speech of Charles Naylor, of Pennsylvania, on the Bill Imposing Additional Duties, as Depositaries, in Certain Cases, on Public Officers. Delivered in the House of Representatives, U.S., October 13, 1837''
Philadelphia: King & Baird, Printers, 1862

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naylor, Charles 1806 births 1872 deaths 19th-century American lawyers American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Lawyers from Philadelphia Lawyers from Pittsburgh Military personnel from Philadelphia Politicians from Philadelphia Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century people from Pennsylvania 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives