John Gelston Floyd (February 5, 1806 – October 5, 1881) was an American lawyer and politician who served three terms as 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 New York from 1839 to 1853, and from 1851 to 1853. He was a grandson of

William Floyd William Floyd (December 17, 1734 – August 4, 1821) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, wealthy farmer, and political leader from New York (state), New York. Floyd served as a delegate to the Continental Cong ...

Life and career

Floyd was born in Mastic near Moriches,

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, the son of Phoebe (Gelston) and Nicoll Floyd. Floyd attended the common schools, and was graduated from Hamilton College,

Clinton, New York Clinton, New York may refer to: *Clinton County, New York *Clinton, Clinton County, New York *Clinton, Dutchess County, New York *Clinton, Oneida County, New York * Clinton, Manhattan, or Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood in New York City *East Greenb ...

, in 1824. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1825, and commenced practice in

Utica, New York Utica () is the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most populous city in New York, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 census. It is located on the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley at the foot of the Adiro ...

Early career

He served as clerk and prosecuting attorney of

from 1829 to 1833. He founded the Utica Democrat (later the Observer-Dispatch) in 1836. He was appointed judge of Suffolk County.

Congress

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

to the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843). He returned to Mastic, Long Island, about 1842. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

(1st D.) in

1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...

and

1849 Events January–March * January 1 – France begins issue of the Ceres series (France), Ceres series, the nation's first postage stamps. * January 5 – Hungarian Revolution of 1848: The Austrian army, led by Alfred I, Prince of Windisc ...

. Floyd was elected to the Thirty-second Congress (March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853). He served as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture (Thirty-second Congress).

Later career and death

He joined the Republican Party upon its formation in 1856. He retired from public life. He died in Mastic,

on October 5, 1881. He was interred in the family cemetery.

Family

John G. Floyd is a great-great-grandfather of Republican Governor, and 2020 presidential candidate

Bill Weld William Floyd Weld (born July 31, 1945) is an American attorney, businessman, author, and politician who served as the Governor of Massachusetts, 68th Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. A Harvard University, Harvard graduate, Weld be ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Floyd, John G 1806 births 1881 deaths Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Hamilton College (New York) alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Mastic, New York 19th-century New York state court judges 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives