Timothy Edward Tarsney (February 4, 1849 – June 8, 1909) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

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 ...

from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. He served two terms in 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 1885 to 1889.

Early life and education

Tarsney was born in Ransom, Michigan and attended the common and high schools. He worked on the Government roads in

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

until the end 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 ...

. When he returned to Michigan, he settled in

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of ...

, where he was employed as a sawmill engineer and became a marine engineer in 1867. He graduated from the law department of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

in 1872 and was admitted to the bar the same year, commencing practice in

East Saginaw East Saginaw was a city in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is now part of the city of Saginaw. History Much of the area that later became East Saginaw was granted by treaty to James Reilly, the Métis son of fur trader Stephen V. ...

. He was elected justice of the peace in 1873 and city attorney from 1875 to 1878, when he resigned. His brother, John Charles Tarsney, was also 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

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. His sister Mary E. Tarsney married Thomas A. E. Weadock who became a U.S. Representative from Michigan after her death.

Congress

In 1880, Tarsney was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the

47th United States Congress The 47th 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, 1881, ...

, losing to Roswell G. Horr. He was a delegate

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

in 1884. That year, he defeated Horr to be 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 ...

from

Michigan's 8th congressional district Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Central Michigan. The district was first created in 1873, after redistricting following the 1870 census. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of all of Clinton, Ing ...

to the 49th Congress. He defeated Horr again to be re-elected to the 50th Congress, serving from March 4, 1885 to March 3, 1889. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1888, losing to

Aaron T. Bliss Aaron Thomas Bliss (May 22, 1837 – September 16, 1906) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative and the 25th governor of Michigan, and was from Saginaw, Michigan, Saginaw. Bliss Township, Michigan, Bliss Township was nam ...

Career after Congress

Tarsney moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

in 1893 and resumed the practice of law. He served on the corporation counsel of

from 1900 to 1908. The following year, he died at the age of sixty in Detroit and is interred in Calvary Cemetery in

, Michigan.

References

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarsney, Timothy Edward 1849 births Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 1909 deaths Michigan state court judges University of Michigan Law School alumni People from Hillsdale County, Michigan Politicians from Saginaw, Michigan 19th-century Michigan state court judges 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives