Joseph Jefferson McDowell (November 13, 1800 – January 17, 1877) was an American lawyer and politician who served as two-term 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

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

from 1843 to 1847. He was the son of Joseph McDowell, a prominent North Carolina politician who served in the Revolutionary War and was also a member of Congress.

Biography

Born in Burke (now McDowell) County, North Carolina, McDowell moved to Kentucky with his mother in 1805 and to

Augusta County, Virginia Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and ...

, in 1817. He pursued preparatory studies. He engaged in agricultural pursuits. He moved to

Highland County, Ohio Highland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,317. Its county seat is Hillsboro. The county is named for the topography which is hilly and divides the watersheds of the Little M ...

, in 1824 and continued agricultural pursuits. He moved to Hillsboro, Highland County, in 1829 and engaged in mercantile pursuits.

Political and military career

He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1832. He served in the State senate in 1833. He was appointed brigadier general of the State militia in 1834. He studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1835 and commenced the practice of his profession in

Hillsboro, Ohio Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Highland County, Ohio, United States, approximately west of Chillicothe, Ohio, Chillicothe and east of Cincinnati. The population was 6,481 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Hi ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1840 to the Twenty-seventh Congress. Ohio

Presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

in 1832 for

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

. Taylor 1899 : 193

Congress

McDowell 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-eighth and Twenty-ninth Congresses (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847). He served as chairman of the Committee on Accounts (Twenty-eighth Congress).

Later career and death

He resumed the practice of law and also engaged in agricultural pursuits. He died in

, January 17, 1877. He was interred in Hillsboro Cemetery. File:Joseph J. McDowell Headstone.JPG, Headstone of Joseph J. McDowell in Hillsboro Cemetery. File:Joseph J. McDowell Gravemarker.JPG, Gravemarker of Joseph J. McDowell in Hillsboro Cemetery.

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McDowell, Joseph J. 1800 births 1877 deaths People from McDowell County, North Carolina People from Highland County, Ohio 1832 United States presidential electors Ohio lawyers Democratic Party Ohio state senators Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives People from Hillsboro, Ohio 19th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves