James Sheakley (April 24, 1829December 10, 1917) was an American Democratic

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who was the

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the

District of Alaska The District of Alaska was the federal government’s designation for Alaska from May 17, 1884, to August 24, 1912, when it became the Territory of Alaska. Previously (1867–1884) it had been known as the Department of Alaska, a military des ...

from 1893 to 1897. He was also a 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 ...

from Pennsylvania from 1875 to 1877.

Background

Sheakley was born on April 24, 1829, to Moses and Susanna (Limber) Sheakley in

Sheakleyville, Pennsylvania Sheakleyville is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in northern Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 142 at the 2010 census, a figure which increased to 150 tabulated residents in 2020. It is part of the Hermitage, Penns ...

. He was educated at the Sheakleyville

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretar ...

and Meadville Academy. Sheakley was trained as a

cabinet maker A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (solid ...

but worked instead as a teacher in rural schools.McMullin & Walker p. 7 The

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

prompted Sheakley to head west. Arriving in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

on February 2, 1852, he worked as a miner for three years.White p. 564 Sheakley returned to Pennsylvania after his work in the gold fields and married Lydia Long of

Greenville, Pennsylvania Greenville is a borough with home rule status in northwestern Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located along the Shenango River, it lies roughly 80 miles from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. It is 1.89 square miles in area, and had ...

on December 25, 1855. The marriage would produce three children, two daughters who died as children and one son who survived to adulthood. Following his wedding, Sheakley moved to Greenville and, in 1860, established a

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and Common ...

business. Then, with the start of the Pennsylvanian oil rush, he switched industries and became a pioneer of the oil industry.

Congressional career

Sheakley continued his work in the oil industry until 1874. Running in a traditionally Republican area, the

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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

was elected to represent

Pennsylvania's 26th congressional district Pennsylvania's 26th congressional district was one of Pennsylvania's districts of the United States House of Representatives. List of representatives References * * Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

. He advocated passage of legislation blocking the use of rebates of freight charges during the transportation of petroleum products on the railroads.White p. 564-5 He pushed through an appropriation that enlarged the
Bureau of Education The Office of Education, at times known as the Department of Education and the Bureau of Education, was a small unit in the Federal Government of the United States within the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1867 to 1972. It is now separa ...
.White p. 565 During the resolution of the 1876 U.S. presidential election, he helped lead a
filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking ...
blocking the bill granting the Presidency to
Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...
. He was unsuccessful during his 1876 run for reelection.

Alaska
Upon the recommendation of
US Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natura ...

Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II (September 17, 1825January 23, 1893) was a Confederate soldier, American politician, diplomat, and jurist. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Mississippi in both houses of Congress, served as t ...
, Sheakley was appointed a United States Commissioner for District of Alaska, a position equivalent to a
U.S. Circuit Court The United States circuit courts were the intermediate level courts of the United States federal court system from 1789 until 1912. They were established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, and had trial court jurisdiction over civil suits of diversit ...
judge, on June 23, 1887. After starting this position in
Wrangell, Alaska Wrangell (, ) is a List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska, borough in Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 2,127, down from 2,369 in 2010. Incorporated as a consolidated city–county ...
on August 9, 1887, the Commissioner of Education added to his duties by appointing his superintendent of schools for southeastern Alaska. In 1888, Sheakley was admitted to the Alaskan bar. He was one of Alaska's two delegates to the
1892 Democratic National Convention The 1892 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, from June 21 to 23, 1892. Former President Grover Cleveland, who had been the party's standard-bearer in 1884 and 1888, was nominated again. Adlai Stevenson I of Illinois was n ...
. During the convention, the Alaska delegation cast the final two votes needed to secure the party's nomination for
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
.White p. 566

References
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheakley, James 1829 births 1917 deaths Alaska Democrats Alaska lawyers American Presbyterians Governors of the District of Alaska Mayors of places in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state court judges People from Greenville, Pennsylvania Politicians from Mercer County, Pennsylvania People of the California Gold Rush Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century Pennsylvania state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives