John Henry Ketcham (December 21, 1832 – November 4, 1906) was a United States representative from New York for over 33 years. He also served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

John Henry Ketcham
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from New York
In office
March 4, 1897 – November 4, 1906
Preceded byJacob LeFever
Succeeded bySamuel McMillan
Constituency18th district (1897–1903)
21st district (1903–1906)
In office
March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1893
Preceded byJohn O. Whitehouse
Succeeded byWilliam Ryan
Constituency13th district (1877–1885)
16th district (1885–1893)
In office
March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1873
Preceded byHomer Augustus Nelson
Succeeded byCharles St. John
Constituency12th district
Commissioner of the District of Columbia[1]
In office
July 3, 1874 – June 30, 1877
Preceded byposition established
Succeeded byThomas B. Bryan
Member of the New York State Senate
In office
1860–1861
Constituency11th District
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office
1856–1857
ConstituencyDutchess County, 1st District
Personal details
Born(1832-12-21)December 21, 1832
Dover Plains, New York
DiedNovember 4, 1906(1906-11-04) (aged 73)
New York City, New York
Resting placeValley View Cemetery, Dover Plains, New York
Signature
Military service
AllegianceUnited States of America
Union
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Union Army
Years of service1862–1865
Rank Brigadier General
Brevet Major General
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Biography

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John H. Ketcham was born in Dover Plains, New York on December 21, 1832.[2] He pursued an academic course and graduated from Suffield Academy at Suffield, Connecticut. He then became interested in agricultural pursuits, as well as politics. He was Supervisor of the Town of Dover in 1854 and 1855; a member of the New York State Assembly (Dutchess County, 1st District) in 1856 and 1857; and a member of the New York State Senate (11th District) in 1860 and 1861.

With the outbreak of the American Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army and was appointed as colonel of the 150th New York Volunteer Infantry, on October 11, 1862. Ketcham was brevetted as a brigadier general on December 6, 1864, and promoted to the full rank of brigadier general in the volunteer army on April 1, 1865. He was brevetted major general of Volunteers March 13, 1865.

Following the war, Ketcham resumed his political career. He was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-ninth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1873). He was the chairman of the Committee on Public Lands Forty-second Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1872 to the Forty-third Congress.

Ketcham was a Commissioner of the District of Columbia from July 3, 1874, until June 30, 1877, when he resigned. During this time, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1876. He was subsequently elected as a Republican to the Forty-fifth and to the seven succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1893). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State (Fifty-seventh through Fifty-ninth Congresses). Ketcham declined to be a candidate for renomination.

He re-entered politics and became a delegate to the 1896 Republican National Convention and was then elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fifth and to the four succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1897, until his death in New York City on November 4, 1906.[2] John Ketcham is buried in Valley View Cemetery in Dover Plains, New York.

John H. Ketcham Elementary School in Washington, DC is named for him.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Tindall, William. Origin and Government of the District of Columbia. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 210. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "General Ketcham Died Last Night". The Evening Republican. New York. November 5, 1906. p. 3. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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New York State Assembly
Preceded by New York State Assembly
Dutchess County, 1st District

1856–1857
Succeeded by
New York State Senate
Preceded by New York State Senate
11th District

1860–1861
Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 12th congressional district

1865–1873
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 13th congressional district

1877–1885
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 16th congressional district

1885–1893
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 18th congressional district

1897–1903
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 21st congressional district

1903–1906
Succeeded by