Isaac McKim (July 21, 1775 – April 1, 1838) was a

U.S. Representative 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

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, nephew of Alexander McKim. McKim's five terms as a Congressman saw him change parties three times (from Republican to Jackson Republican to Jacksonian).

Early life

McKim was born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

in the

Province of Maryland The Province of Maryland was an Kingdom of England, English and later British colonization of the Americas, British colony in North America from 1634 until 1776, when the province was one of the Thirteen Colonies that joined in supporting the A ...

. He attended the public schools, and later engaged in mercantile pursuits. He served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

as aide-de-camp to General Samuel Smith.

Political career

After the war, McKim served as a member of the

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

from December 4, 1821, until January 8, 1823, when he resigned. McKim was elected as a Democrat to the Seventeenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Samuel Smith. On the same day, McKim was elected as a Jackson Republican to the Eighteenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative-elect Smith and served from January 4, 1823, to March 3, 1825. After Congress, McKim served as one of the original directors of the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

Co. from 1827 until 1831. McKim returned to Congress, elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses and reelected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth Congress. He served from March 4, 1833, until his death in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, on April 1, 1838. He was interred in the burying ground of St. Paul's Church. *

List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899) The following is a list of United States United States Senate, senators and United States House of Representatives, representatives who died of natural or accidental causes, or who killed themselves, while serving their terms between 1790 and 18 ...

Merchant

McKim was a "wealthy sea-dog and merchant" and a leader in the commercial and industrial life of Baltimore. He owned a fleet of merchant ships. Among other businesses he had a copper warehouse on Gay street in Baltimore, and operated a steam flour mill.

Owner of the ''Ann McKim''

In 1832, he contracted the

-based shipbuilding firm of Kennard & Williamson to build the ship of his dreams, the

clipper ship A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century Merchant ship, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessel, designed for speed. The term was also retrospectively applied to the Baltimore clipper, which originated in the late 18th century. Clippers were gen ...

''Ann McKim'', which he named in honor of his wife. It served to refine the design of many of clippers built over the next 25 years.

Legacy

Isaac McKim finished the building of the first free school in the U.S., McKim Free School, started by his father John McKim. In 1837, Kennard & Williamson built the 163-ton brig ''Isaac McKim'', that was named after McKim. There is a cenotaph in his memory at Congressional Cemetery.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKim, Isaac 1775 births 1838 deaths Democratic Party Maryland state senators American militiamen in the War of 1812 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad people 19th-century American railroad executives United States Army officers Maryland Democratic-Republicans Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland American militia officers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly