Joshua Van Sant (December 31, 1803 – April 8, 1884) was a

United States Congressional 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 the ...

from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. He served as

mayor of Baltimore The mayor of Baltimore is the head of the executive branch of the government of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills, ordinances, or resolutions passed by th ...

from 1871 to 1875.

Background

Van Sant was born in Millington in

Kent County, Maryland Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,198, making it the least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Chestertown. The county was named for the county of Kent in ...

. He moved with his parents to

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, in 1807, and later to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1812. He attended the common schools before moving to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

Career

He engaged in hat making in 1817, became a

journeyman A journeyman is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that field as a fully qualified employee ...

, and continued that trade until 1835. He was an unsuccessful candidate as a Jackson Democrat (supporting seventh President

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 ...

) to the lower chamber

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

of the

General Assembly of Maryland The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives, and the lower chambe ...

in 1833 and 1834, but served as a delegate to the State constitutional convention (version unratified) in 1836. He also served as

U.S. Postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of Baltimore from 1839 to 1841, served again as a member of the House of Delegates in 1845, and as commissioner of Baltimore finances from March 1, 1846 to March 1, 1855. He was a trustee of the city and county

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...

(poor house municipal charity) from 1847 to 1853 and in 1861. He also served as a commissioner of public schools from 1852 to 1854, and later as president of that city Board of School Commissioners for the

Baltimore City Public Schools Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS), also referred to as Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) or City Schools, is a public school district in the city of Baltimore, state of Maryland, United States. It serves the youth of Baltimore Ci ...

in 1854. He is mentioned as the President of the (Baltimore) Institute of Music in 1856 (see "The Sun"

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

daily newspaper - 25 November 1856). Van Sant was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress, where he served from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Thirty-fourth Congress in 1854. He later served as a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket of

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American politician who served as the 14th vice president of the United States, with President James Buchanan, from 1857 to 1861. Assuming office at the age of 36, Breckinrid ...

in pivotal crucial

Presidential Election of 1860 United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 6, 1860. The History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin emerged victoriou ...

which led up to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

(1861-1865), and was delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1867 which created the fourth version and current state constitution. He was director of the Maryland State Penitentiary (founded 1806) from 1867 to 1869, serving two years as president. He was member of the board of trustees of the McDonough Educational Fund and Institute (for the modern McDonough School) from 1867 to 1871, serving as president in 1871, and member and president of the board fo
Bay View Asylum
(later renamed Baltimore City Hospitals, then Francis Scott Key Medical Center, and today as Johns Hopkins Bayview) from 1868 to 1870. Van Sant served as

from 1871 to 1875, during which time the current

Baltimore City Hall Baltimore City Hall is the official seat of government of the City of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland. The City Hall houses the offices of the Mayor and those of the City Council of Baltimore. The building also hosts the city Comptroller, ...

massive construction project 1867-1875, was completed under budget and dedicated. He later declined to be a candidate for renomination. He was appointed city

comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...

of Baltimore in July 1876 and served five years until January 1881. Afterwards, he was elected to that office and served until his 1884 death in Baltimore. He is interred in

Greenmount Cemetery Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as m ...

off of Greenmount Avenue and East North Avenue in northeast Baltimore.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Sant, Joshua 1803 births 1884 deaths Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Mayors of Baltimore American politicians of Dutch descent Maryland postmasters American milliners People from Kent County, Maryland 1860 United States presidential electors Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Burials at Green Mount Cemetery 19th-century mayors of places in Maryland 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly