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J. P. C. Emmons

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J. P. C. Emmons
12th Florida Attorney General
In office
1872 – January 16, 1873
GovernorHarrison Reed
Preceded byHoratio Bisbee Jr.
Succeeded byWilliam A. Cocke
Prosecuting Attorney for Wayne County
In office
1855–1857
GovernorKinsley S. Bingham
Member of the Wayne County School Board
In office
1853–1854
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the Wayne district
In office
January 3, 1848 – 1848
3rd Clerk of the Michigan House of Representatives
In office
1838–1838
GovernorStevens T. Mason
Preceded byAnthony Ten Eyck
Succeeded byElijah J. Roberts
Personal details
Born(1818-01-01)January 1, 1818
Hudson Falls, New York
DiedApril 15, 1877(1877-04-15) (aged 59)
Jacksonville, Florida
Political partyDemocratic (before 1854)
Republican (after 1854)
SpouseMartha Eason Davisson
OccupationAttorney
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1861–1865
Rank Captain
Unit1st Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Regiment
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Jedediah Philo Clark Emmons (January 1, 1818 – April 15, 1877), more commonly referred to as Jed P. C. Emmons or J. P. C. Emmons, was an American attorney and politician who served as the 12th Florida Attorney General.[1]

Early life and education

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Emmons was born on January 1, 1818, in Hudson Falls, New York. Emmons moved to Detroit, Michigan with his father and brother in 1836; his father, Adonijah, was an attorney, and his brother, Halmor Hull, would later become a federal judge. Upon arrival, Emmons became the private secretary for Michigan Governor Stevens T. Mason, and much of his early legal education came from Mason.[2]

In 1838, Mason appointed Emmons as the Clerk of the Michigan House of Representatives, though he would only stay in that position for a year in order to continue his legal studies.[3] Emmons was admitted into the Michigan Bar in 1840 and began a law practice in Detroit with his father and brother the same year, named A. Emmons & Sons.[2][4]

Political career

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In 1848, Emmons, a Democrat, was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, representing Wayne County. Although he served on the powerful State Affairs and Ways and Means committees, Emmons resigned within the year, opting to return to private practice.[2]

In 1851, Emmons was appointed to be the commissioner of the circuit court of Marquette County, Michigan, by Governor John S. Barry.[5] In 1853, he was elected to the Wayne County School Board, though he would resign the following year. In 1855, Governor Kinsley S. Bingham appointed Emmons as the Prosecuting Attorney for Wayne County. He held this position until 1857.[6]

In 1854, Emmons joined the newly created Republican Party.[2]

With the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Emmons enlisted in the Union Army, serving in Company K of the 1st Michigan Cavalry.[7] Emmons, who began as a private and rose all the way to captain, was also part of the Michigan Brigade, which was under the command of Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer.[8] This brigade, a collection of various Michigan cavalry regiments, fought in every major campaign of the war from the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 to the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse in April 1865.[9]

After the war, Emmons settled in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1872, Florida Governor Harrison Reed, another carpetbagger Republican from the Midwest, appointed Emmons as Florida Attorney General following the resignation of Horatio Bisbee Jr. Emmons served in this position until January 1873, when Judge William A. Cocke was officially elected to be Bisbee's successor.[10]

Personal life and death

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Emmons was married to Martha Eason Davisson, a native Illinoisan.[11]

Emmons died at his home in Jacksonville on April 15, 1877. He is buried in Detroit's Elmwood Cemetery.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Florida Attorney General - Florida Attorneys General (1845 - )". myfloridalegal.com. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  2. ^ a b c d "Legislator Details - Legislators". mdoe.state.mi.us. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  3. ^ "323-326, House Speaks.indd" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Jedediah Philo Clark Emmons". Find a Grave. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  5. ^ Senate, Michigan Legislature (1851). Journal of the Senate of the State of Michigan.
  6. ^ Bingham, Stephen D. (1888). Early History of Michigan: With Biographies of State Officers, Members of Congress, Judges and Legislators. Thorp & Godfrey, state printers. p. 254. jed p c emmons florida.
  7. ^ "1st MICHIGAN CAVALRY, COMPANY K". www.migenweb.org. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  8. ^ "Emmons, Jed P C (Pvt) › Page 1 - Fold3.com". Fold3. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  9. ^ "APPENDIX A". www.gdg.org. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  10. ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Florida Governors". Florida Memory. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  11. ^ "Mrs Martha Eason "Mattie" Davisson Emmons". Find a Grave. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
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