Joseph K. Edgerton

Joseph Ketchum Edgerton (February 16, 1818 – August 25, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1863 to 1865.

Joseph K. Edgerton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 10th district
In office 1863–1865
Preceded by	William Mitchell
Succeeded by	Joseph H. Defrees
Personal details
Born	Joseph Ketchum Edgerton (1818-02-16)February 16, 1818 Vergennes, Vermont
Died	August 25, 1893(1893-08-25) (aged 75) Boston, Massachusetts
Resting place	Fort Wayne's Lindenwood Cemetery
Political party	Democrat
Relatives	Alfred Peck Edgerton (brother)

Early life and career

Born in Vergennes, Vermont, Edgerton attended the public schools of Clinton County, New York. He graduated from Plattsburgh Academy, which his older brother Alfred Peck Edgerton had also attended. Joseph Edgerton read the law with an established firm and was admitted to the bar.

In 1839 he commenced practice in New York City. In 1844 Edgerton moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he continued to practice.

In 1854 he became a member of the board of directors for the Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad, and later was selected as its president. Edgerton also served as president of the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad and the Ohio Railroad, which were constructed to connect major cities of the Midwest, especially the booming industrial city of Chicago, through which many natural resources flowed to the East.

Congress

A Democrat, Edgerton was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1862 and served in the Thirty-eighth Congress, March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1865. His vote on the Thirteenth Amendment is recorded as nay. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1864 and returned to his business interests.

Death

Edgerton died in Boston, Massachusetts, on August 25, 1893. His body was returned to Indiana, where he was interred at Fort Wayne's Lindenwood Cemetery.

Family

His older brother Alfred Peck Edgerton was elected to Congress for two terms from Ohio. After his death in 1897, his family arranged for his burial to also occur in Lindenwood Cemetery.

References

• United States Congress. "Joseph K. Edgerton (id: E000047)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

External links

• Works by Joseph K. Edgerton at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Joseph K. Edgerton at the Internet Archive
• Joseph K. Edgerton at Find a Grave

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress