Joseph James Little (June 5, 1841 – February 11, 1913) was an American printer by trade who served as a

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from

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from 1891 to 1893, after winning a special election to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Roswell P. Flower. Little was a veteran of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Biography

Born in

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, Little immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1846. The family settled in

Morris, New York Morris is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town located in Otsego County, New York, Otsego County, New York (state), New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 1,878. The town is named after General ...

. He attended the common schools, was apprenticed to the local printer and entered a New York book-printing office to complete his trade.

Civil War

During the US Civil War, he served in the Union Army from 1862 to 1864, as corporal, first sergeant, and first lieutenant.

Congress

Little was elected as a

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to the

52nd Congress The 52nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1891 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Roswell P. Flower and served from November 3, 1891, to March 3, 1893. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1892 to the Fifty-third Congress.

Later career

Little served as commissioner of education and president of the Board of Education of New York City. Little began business on his own account in a small way, having for a junior partner his former employer, Mr. Rennie. A third associate joining in the venture, the three with the combined capital of $5,000 started the printing office of Little, Rennie & Co. on Broome Street, in 1867. Being practical and hard working men they made their way by inches. In 1873,

William Jennings Demorest 200px William Jennings Demorest (1822–1895) was an American magazine publisher, prohibition leader, and businessman from New York City. In collaboration with his second wife, Ellen Demorest, née Curtis, he attained international success from ...

joined the firm and brought them the printing of his fashion papers. The business finally grew quite large and in 1871 was moved to an uptown location. In his present large quarters on Astor place, they do an enormous business in the printing of books, magazines, etc., employing about 500 persons. The present title of J. J. Little & Co. was adopted in 1876. He remained in the printing and publishing business until his death in New York City on February 11, 1913.

Death

He died on February 11, 1913, and was interred in Kensico Cemetery,

Valhalla, New York Valhalla ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The name wa ...

Family

Little's son was the tennis player Raymond D. Little.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Joseph James 1841 births 1913 deaths Union army officers Burials at Kensico Cemetery Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Morris, New York American printers 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives