Timothy Childs
American politician (1790–1847)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Timothy Childs Jr. (January 1, 1790 – November 25, 1847) was a U.S. Representative from New York. He represented Monroe County for eight non-consecutive terms in Congress between 1829 and 1843.
Timothy Childs | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York | |
| In office March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Kempshall |
| Succeeded by | Thomas J. Paterson |
| Constituency | 28th district |
| In office March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1839 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick Whittlesey |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Kempshall |
| Constituency | 28th district |
| In office March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel D. Barnard |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Whittlesey |
| Constituency | 27th district |
| Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department | |
| In office 1837–1839 | |
| Preceded by | Albert Gallatin Hawes |
| Succeeded by | Richard P. Marvin |
| Member of the New York State Assembly | |
| In office January 1, 1833 – December 31, 1833 Serving with Levi Pond, Milton Sheldon | |
| Preceded by | Samuel G. Andrews, Ira Bellows, William B. Brown |
| Succeeded by | Elihu Church, Fletcher Mathews Haight, Jeremy S. Stone |
| Constituency | Monroe County |
| In office January 1, 1828 – December 31, 1828 Serving with Ezra Sheldon Jr., Francis Storm | |
| Preceded by | Peter Price, Abelard Reynolds, Joseph Sibley |
| Succeeded by | John Garbutt, Heman Norton, Reuben Willey |
| Constituency | Monroe County |
| District Attorney of Monroe County, New York | |
| In office 1821–1831 | |
| Preceded by | None (position created) |
| Succeeded by | Vincent Mathews |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 1, 1790 |
| Died | November 25, 1847 (aged 57) At sea aboard the ship Emily |
| Party | Federalist Anti-Masonic Anti-Jacksonian Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Catherine Adams Louisa S. Dickinson |
| Alma mater | Williams College Litchfield Law School |
| Profession | lawyer |
Early life
Childs was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on January 1, 1790.[1] He was the son of Rachel (née Easton) Childs (1760–1852) and Timothy Childs (1748–1821), a Revolutionary War officer who studied at Harvard, became a physician and served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
He graduated from Williams College in 1811[2] and Litchfield Law School in 1814.[3] He completed his studies at the Albany firm of Harmanus Bleecker,[4] afterwards practicing law in New York, first in Canandaigua, and then in Rochester.[5]
Career
Originally a Federalist,[6] while residing in Canandaigua, Childs served in offices including Ontario County Commissioner and the judicial position of Master in Chancery.[7]
He served as district attorney of Monroe County, New York, from 1821 to 1831, the first to hold this position.[8][9] He served as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1828,[10] and in the late 1820s he also served as Monroe County judge.[11][12][13]
Childs was elected as an Anti-Mason to the Twenty-first Congress (March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831).[14][15] After his term expired he returned to practicing law in Rochester.
In 1833, he was elected again to the New York State Assembly.[16]
In 1834, he was elected as an Anti-Jacksonian to the Twenty-fourth Congress.[17] He was reelected as a Whig in 1836,[18] and served from March 4, 1835, to March 3, 1839. During his 1837 to 1839 term, Childs was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department.[19]
Childs was elected to Congress again as a Whig in 1840 and served one term, March 4, 1841, to March 3, 1843.[20] He resumed practicing law following the completion of his final term in Congress.
Death
Personal life
In 1817, he married Catherine Adams.[30][31]
In December 1830 he married Louisa Stewart (née Shepherd) Dickinson of North Carolina in a ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia.[32][33] Louisa was the widow of Joel Dickinson.[34]
