James Sykes (delegate) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

James Sykes was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

from Dover

Dover, Delaware

The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...

, in Kent County

Kent County, Delaware

Kent County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is coextensive with the Dover, Delaware, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population was 162,310, a 28.1% increase over the previous decade. The county seat is Dover, the state capital...

, Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

. He served in the Delaware General Assembly

Delaware General Assembly

The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...

and was a Continental Congressman from Delaware

Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....

Early life and family

Sykes was born in 1725, probably in New Castle

New Castle, Delaware

New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...

, Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

. He married Agnes Bell and had eight children: James, Stephen, George, Nathaniel, Ann, Harriet, Lucy Matilda, and Mary. They lived in Dover

Dover, Delaware

, Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

and were members of Christ Episcopal Church.

Political career

Sykes served as a lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

under Caesar Rodney

Caesar Rodney

Caesar Rodney was an American lawyer and politician from St. Jones Neck in Dover Hundred, Kent County, Delaware, east of Dover...

in the Dover

Dover, Delaware

Militia

The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...

in 1756. In 1776 he was a delegate to the Delaware State Constitutional Convention

Constitutional convention (political meeting)

A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...

held at Dover

Dover, Delaware

. From November 7, 1776 until January 10, 1777 Sykes served on the Council of Safety, a body which was appointed to act as the state's executive

Executive (government)

Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...

until the Delaware General Assembly

Delaware General Assembly

was able to choose the state's first President and Privy Council. He served in the Continental Congress

Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....

most of 1777. Also in 1777, Sykes was appointed Kent County

Kent County, Delaware

Clerk of the Peace and Kent County

Kent County, Delaware

Prothonotary. He served in these posts for the remainder of his life. Sykes served on the state's Privy Council in 1780, and in the state's second Constitutional Convention

Constitutional convention (political meeting)

in 1792 until his death. He was appointed Judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

of the High Court of Errors and Appeals of Delaware in 1792 and served until his death later that year.

Death and legacy

Sykes died in Dover

Dover, Delaware

, Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

on April 4, 1792 and is buried at Christ Episcopal Church there. His son, James Sykes, Jr., served as Governor of Delaware, and his great-grandson George

George Sykes

George Sykes was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War.-Early life:...

served as a Major General

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

in the American 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...

Almanac

From 1776 until 1792 Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

elections were held on the first day of October of the year noted. Terms for members of the General Assembly

Delaware General Assembly

began on the twentieth day of October. Members of the Legislative Council

Delaware Senate

The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term....

had a term of three years. Three State Councilmen

Delaware Senate

were elected, at large, from each county.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" | Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Elected
! Term began
! Term ended
! notes
|-
| Delegate

Delegate

A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...

| Convention

Constitutional convention (political meeting)

| Dover

Dover, Delaware

|
| August 27, 1776
| September 20, 1776
| State Constitution

Constitutional convention (political meeting)

|-
| Council of Safety
| Legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

| New Castle

New Castle, Delaware

New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...

Delaware Senate

| Legislature

Legislature

| New Castle

New Castle, Delaware

New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...

Delegate

| Legislature

Legislature

| Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

|
| February 22, 1777
| December 17, 1777
| Continental Congress

Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....

|-
| Delegate

Delegate

| Convention

Constitutional convention (political meeting)

| Dover

Dover, Delaware

| 1791
| November 1791
| April 4, 1792
| State Constitution

Constitutional convention (political meeting)

External links

Ratification of the Constitution by the State of Delaware; December 7, 1787.

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society
Delaware Historical Society
The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...

website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

19801; (302)
Area code 302
302 is the area code for the state of Delaware in the United States. It is one of the original area codes established in 1947.-External links:*...

655-7161
University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...

Library website, 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...

19717; (302) 831–2965

{| class="toccolours" align="center" width=94% style="margin:0.5em 1em; clear:both"
|-
! |
{| class=toccolours style="margin: 0 2em 0 2em;" width=100% style="background:#CCCCFF"
| |

! width=100% | United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

• Senators • Senate Leadership • Senate Committees • Senate elections
House

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

• Representatives • House Leadership • House Committees • House elections • Districts
Continental Congress
| rowspan=2 |

|}
|-
|}

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.