William Loughridge (July 11, 1827 – September 26, 1889) was a pioneer attorney, judge, and three-term

United States Congressman 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

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. He was born in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

, where he attended the common schools. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1849 and commenced practice in

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in Richland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 47,534 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located approximately from Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, Columbus via Interstate 71, it i ...

. He moved to Iowa in 1852 and settled in Oskaloosa, in

Mahaska County Mahaska County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,190. The county seat is Oskaloosa. Mahaska County comprises the Oskaloosa, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Mahaska County ...

. He served as a member of the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the Iowa, state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . Each Senat ...

from 1857 to 1860. In 1861 he became a judge of the sixth judicial circuit of Iowa, serving until 1867. In the 1866 Republican district convention for

Iowa's 4th congressional district Iowa's 4th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers the western border of the state, including Sioux City, Iowa, Sioux City and Council Bluffs, Iowa, C ...

, Loughridge upset incumbent Congressman Josiah B. Grinnell, winning (by thirteen votes) the nomination for the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

seat then held by Grinnell. After winning the general election and serving in the

Fortieth United States Congress The 40th 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, 1867, ...

, Loughridge was re-elected in 1868 and served in the Forty-first United States Congress. In the 1870 Republican district convention, Loughridge was upset by

Madison Miner Walden Madison Miner Walden (October 6, 1836 – July 24, 1891) was a Civil War officer, teacher, publisher, farmer, the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, and a one-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district, then located in s ...

. Walden won the general election. However, when Walden ran for renomination in 1872 (in what was reapportioned in 1871 as

Iowa's 6th congressional district Iowa's 6th congressional district is a former List of United States congressional districts, U.S. congressional district in the Iowa, State of Iowa. It existed in elections from 1862 to 1992, when it was lost due to Iowa's population growth rate ...

), Loughridge turned the tables on Walden, ousting Walden. Loughridge served only one term representing the new Sixth District. He sought renomination, but in the 1874 district convention ballotting, he finished behind his eventual successor, Ezekiel S. Sampson, and Sampson's successor,

James B. Weaver James Baird Weaver (June 12, 1833 – February 6, 1912) was an American politician in Iowa who was a member of the United States House of Representatives and two-time candidate for President of the United States. He belonged to several d ...

(who had not yet left the Republican Party for the

Greenback Party The Greenback Party (known successively as the Independent Party, the National Independent Party and the Greenback Labor Party) was an Political parties in the United States, American political party with an Competition law, anti-monopoly ideolog ...

)."Local Matters," Iowa State Reporter, 1874-07-22 at p. 5. In all, Loughridge served in Congress from March 4, 1867, to March 3, 1871, and from March 4, 1873, to March 3, 1875. He died near

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

, and is buried in Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loughridge, William 1827 births 1889 deaths Iowa state court judges Republican Party Iowa state senators Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa Politicians from Youngstown, Ohio Politicians from Mansfield, Ohio Politicians from Oskaloosa, Iowa Lawyers from Youngstown, Ohio 19th-century Iowa state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Iowa General Assembly