Darwin Phelps (April 17, 1807 – December 14, 1879) was a Republican member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

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 ...

Biography

Darwin Phelps was born in

East Granby, Connecticut East Granby is a New England town, town in the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,214 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Original inhabitants of the current East Granby area were Native A ...

. He was left an

orphan An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew language, Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages ...

at an early age and went to live with his grandparents in

Portage, Ohio Portage is a village in Wood County, Ohio, United States. The population was 398 at the 2020 census. History Portage was platted in 1836. The village takes its name from the nearby Portage River. A post office called Portage has been in opera ...

, where he completed preparatory studies. He attended Western University 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 ...

. He studied law in Pittsburgh, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in

Kittanning, Pennsylvania Kittanning ( ) is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Allegheny River. The population was 3,921 at the 2020 census. The name is ...

, in 1835. He was a member of the board of trustees of

Kittanning Academy Kittanning may refer to: * Kittanning, Pennsylvania, United States * West Kittanning, Pennsylvania, United States * Kittanning Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States * Kittanning (village), a Native American village that was locate ...

, a member of the town council in 1841 and 1848, and burgess in 1844, 1845, 1849, 1852, 1855, 1858, 1859, and 1861. He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for auditor general in 1856. He was a delegate to the

1860 Republican National Convention The 1860 Republican National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention that met May 16–18 in Chicago, Illinois. It was held to nominate the Republican Party (United States), Republic ...

. Phelps served as major of the Twenty-second Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia, in 1862. He was member of the

Pennsylvania State House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

in 1865. Phelps was elected as a Republican to the Forty-first Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in

1870 Events January * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge be ...

. He died in Kittanning in 1879. Interment in Kittanning Cemetery.

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-14
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, Darwin Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Union army officers Pennsylvania lawyers People from Armstrong County, Pennsylvania 1807 births 1879 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania People from Portage, Ohio People from Hartford County, Connecticut 19th-century American lawyers Military personnel from Pennsylvania 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives