Julius Rockwell
Encyclopedia
Julius Rockwell was a United States
politician from Massachusetts
, and the father of Francis Williams Rockwell
.
Rockwell was born in Colebrook, Connecticut
and educated at private schools and then Yale
, where he studied law, graduating in 1826. He was admitted to the bar
and in 1830 commenced practice in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
. He was elected a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
in 1834 and served four years, three of them as Speaker. Rockwell was appointed commissioner of the Bank of Massachusetts from 1838 to 1840.
In 1842 he successfully ran as a Whig
candidate for the House of Representatives
and was re-elected three times, serving from 1843 to 1851. He did not seek renomination in 1850. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention
in 1853, and was appointed to the Senate
in 1854 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Edward Everett
, serving from June 3, 1854 to January 31, 1855, when his successor Henry Wilson
was elected. Rockwell voted in the electoral college for the Republican
candidate John C. Frémont
in the presidential election of 1856
.
Rockwell returned to his old post of Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1858, until his appointment to the Massachusetts Superior Court
in 1859. He retired as a judge in 1886 and died May 19, 1888 in Lenox, Massachusetts
, where he is buried.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and the father of Francis Williams Rockwell
Francis W. Rockwell
Francis Williams Rockwell was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, his father was Julius Rockwell, also a member of Congress....
.
Rockwell was born in Colebrook, Connecticut
Colebrook, Connecticut
Colebrook is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,471 at the 2000 census. Colebrook was named after Colebrooke, in the English county of Devon.-Geography:...
and educated at private schools and then Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he studied law, graduating in 1826. He was admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
and in 1830 commenced practice in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
. He was elected a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
in 1834 and served four years, three of them as Speaker. Rockwell was appointed commissioner of the Bank of Massachusetts from 1838 to 1840.
In 1842 he successfully ran as a Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
candidate for the House of Representatives
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...
and was re-elected three times, serving from 1843 to 1851. He did not seek renomination in 1850. He was a delegate to the 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...
in 1853, and was appointed to the 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...
in 1854 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Edward Everett
Edward Everett
Edward Everett was an American politician and educator from Massachusetts. Everett, a Whig, served as U.S. Representative, and U.S. Senator, the 15th Governor of Massachusetts, Minister to Great Britain, and United States Secretary of State...
, serving from June 3, 1854 to January 31, 1855, when his successor Henry Wilson
Henry Wilson
Henry Wilson was the 18th Vice President of the United States and a Senator from Massachusetts...
was elected. Rockwell voted in the electoral college for the 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...
candidate John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
in the presidential election of 1856
United States presidential election, 1856
The United States presidential election of 1856 was an unusually heated contest that led to the election of James Buchanan, the ambassador to the United Kingdom. Republican candidate John C. Frémont condemned the Kansas–Nebraska Act and crusaded against the expansion of slavery, while Democrat...
.
Rockwell returned to his old post of Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1858, until his appointment to the Massachusetts Superior Court
Massachusetts Superior Court
The Massachusetts Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $25,000, and in matters where equitable relief is sought. It also has original jurisdiction in actions involving labor disputes where injunctive relief is sought, and has exclusive authority to convene medical...
in 1859. He retired as a judge in 1886 and died May 19, 1888 in Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Set in Western Massachusetts, it is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,077 at the 2000 census. Where the town has a border with Stockbridge is the site of Tanglewood, summer...
, where he is buried.