Jacob Augustus Geissenhainer (August 28, 1839 – July 20, 1917) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and Democratic Party

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who represented

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's 3rd congressional district in 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 three terms from 1889 to 1895.

Early life and career

Geissenhainer was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and attended private schools. He graduated from Columbia College in New York City (

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

, 1858), and went on to study law at

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

, and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

(

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, 1860). He also attended the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

. In 1862 he was admitted to the bar, and he commenced practice in New York City. Geissenhainer married Susan Havemeyer Burkhalter, a member of the

Havemeyer family The Havemeyer family is a prominent New York (state), New York family of Germany, German origin that owned significant sugar refining interests in the United States. History William Havemeyer (1770-1851) left Germany at age 15 and arrived in New ...

Congress

He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-first, Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses where he served from March 4, 1889 until March 3, 1895. He also served as chairman of the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization (Fifty-third Congress), and on the Committee on Naval Affairs (Fifty-third Congress). Geissenhainer was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1894 to the Fifty-fourth Congress. After this, he resumed the practice of law.

Death

He died at

Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania Mount Pocono is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. The borough serves as a local highway nexus, and sees much tourist traffic making use of resources in the region. As of the 2020 Unite ...

, and was interred in

West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is in size, and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in nearby Philadelphia. ...

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route ...

References

External links

Jacob Augustus Geissenhainer
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Geissenhainer, Jacob Augustus 1839 births 1917 deaths Columbia College (New York) alumni New York University School of Law alumni Lawyers from New York City Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery Politicians from New York City 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives