James Phelan Jr. (December 7, 1856 – January 30, 1891) was a nineteenth-century lawyer and politician from
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
. He served as a
United States Congressman from Tennessee, representing the
tenth district.
Biography
Phelan was born in
Aberdeen, Mississippi to
James Phelan Sr., a member of the
Confederate Congress, and Eliza J Phelan. He was of Irish descent on his father's side, and Scottish descent on his mother' side. He attended various schools. In 1874 he went abroad, and in 1878 received his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
from the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
, having written his
dissertation on the life and works of
Philip Massinger. Returning to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, he married Mary Early of Virginia, with whom he had three children.
Career
In 1881, Phelan became the owner of ''The Avalanche'', a
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
. He was admitted to the Tennessee bar that same year, and began the practice of law in Memphis.
Elected as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
, Phelan served in that body from March 4, 1887, until his death in 1891. During his term in the House, he published his book, ''History of Tennessee, the Making of a State''.
Death
Phelan died in
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of the Bahamas. With a population of 274,400 as of 2016, or just over 70% of the entire population of the Bahamas, Nassau is commonly defined as a primate city, dwarfing all other towns in the country. ...
on January 30, 1891. He is interred at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee.
See also
*
References
External links
*''Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896.'' Chicago: Quincy Who's Who, 1963.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelan, James Jr.
1856 births
1891 deaths
19th-century American newspaper publishers (people)
American people of Irish descent
People from Memphis, Tennessee
People from Aberdeen, Mississippi
Leipzig University alumni
American publishers (people)
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee
19th-century American journalists
Journalists from Tennessee
American male journalists
19th-century American male writers
19th-century American politicians