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Aaron A. Sargent

Aaron Augustus Sargent
Aaron Augustus Sargent - Brady-Handy.jpg
United States Senator
from California
In office
March 4, 1873 – March 4, 1879
Preceded by Cornelius Cole
Succeeded by James T. Farley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1873
Preceded by William Higby
Succeeded by Horace F. Page
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's at-large district
In office
March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863
Preceded by Charles L. Scott
Succeeded by William Higby
Member of the California Senate
In office
1856
Personal details
Born (1827-09-28)September 28, 1827
Newburyport, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died August 14, 1887(1887-08-14) (aged 59)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political party Republican
Profession Politician, Lawyer

Aaron Augustus Sargent (September 28, 1827 – August 14, 1887) was an American journalist, lawyer, politician and diplomat. He was sometimes called the "Senator for the Southern Pacific Railroad".

Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, he attended the common schools and then was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker. In his youth he worked as a printer in Philadelphia and then, in 1847, moved to Washington, D.C., where he was a secretary to a Congressman.

He moved to California in 1849 and settled in Nevada City in 1850. There he was on the staff of the Nevada Daily Journal, eventually becoming that newspaper's owner. He was admitted to the California bar in 1854 and began practicing in Nevada City, becoming district attorney for Nevada County in 1856. He served in the California Senate in 1856.

Sargent was elected as a Republican to the 37th Congress; skipped several terms and was reelected to the 41st and 42nd Congresses. In 1861 he was the author of the first Pacific Railroad Act that was passed in Congress.

He was elected to the United States Senate and served 1873 to 1879. During his time in the Senate he was chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Mines and Mining during the 44th Congress and chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Naval Affairs during the 45th Congress.


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