James O’Donnell was a politician from the U.S. State

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

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Biography

O’Donnell was born in Norwalk, Connecticut

Norwalk, Connecticut

Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...

 and moved to Jackson, Michigan

Jackson, Michigan

Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...

 with his parents in 1848. He pursued preparatory studies and learned the printing trade. During the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, he enlisted as a private in the First Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and served two years. He served as recorder of the city of Jackson from 1863 to 1866 and established the Jackson Daily Citizen in 1865. He was a Presidential elector in 1872 and served as mayor of Jackson in 1876 and 1877. He was appointed in 1878 aide-de-camp on the staff of Governor

Governor of Michigan

The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. State of Michigan. The current Governor is Rick Snyder, a member of the Republican Party.-Gubernatorial elections and term of office:...

 Charles Croswell

Charles Croswell

Charles Miller Croswell was the 17th Governor of the US state of Michigan from 1877 to 1881.-Early life in New York:...

, with the rank of colonel.

O’Donnell was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 from Michigan's 3rd congressional district

Michigan's 3rd congressional district

Michigan's 3rd congressional district is a United States Congressional district in Western Michigan. It consists of the counties of Barry, Ionia, and all except the northwest portion of Kent. The district is currently represented by Republican Justin Amash, the second youngest member of the house...

 to the 49th United States Congress

49th United States Congress

The Forty-ninth 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, 1885 to March 4, 1887, during the first two years...

 and to the three succeeding Congresses serving from March 4, 1885 to March 3, 1893. He served as chairman of the Committee on Education during the 51st Congress

51st United States Congress

The Fifty-first United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar 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...

. In 1892, he ran in Michigan's 2nd congressional district

Michigan's 2nd congressional district

Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States Congressional district in Western Michigan. It consists of the counties of Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, Mason, Lake, Oceana, Newaygo, Muskegon, Ottawa, and the northern portion of Allegan and the northwest portion of Kent. The 2nd district has...

, losing to Democrat James S. Gorman

James S. Gorman

James Sedgwick Gorman was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Gorman was born in Lyndon Township, Michigan, near Chelsea. He attended the common schools and the Union School of Chelsea, and graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1876. He was...

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James O’Donnell returned to Jackson and devoted his time to the publication of the Jackson Daily Citizen, and retired in 1910. He was considered the father of the beet-sugar industry of Michigan. He died in Jackson just eight days before his 75th birthday and was interred there in Mount Evergreen Cemetery.