James Rood Doolittle | |
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United States Senator from Wisconsin |
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In office March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1869 |
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Preceded by | Henry Dodge |
Succeeded by | Matthew H. Carpenter |
Personal details | |
Born |
Hampton, New York, U.S. |
January 3, 1815
Died | July 27, 1897 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
(aged 82)
Political party | Republican, Democrat |
Profession | Politician, lawyer |
James Rood Doolittle (January 3, 1815 – July 27, 1897) was an American politician who served as a senator from the state of Wisconsin from March 4, 1857, to March 4, 1869. He was a strong supporter of President Abraham Lincoln's administration during the American Civil War.
Born in Hampton, New York, Doolittle was the son of Reuben Doolittle. He attended Middlebury Academy in Wyoming, New York and in 1834, he graduated from Hobart College in Geneva, New York. He subsequently studied law and was admitted to the New York bar association in 1837.
He then established a law practice in Rochester. Doolittle moved to Warsaw, New York, in 1841. From 1847 to 1850, he was the district attorney for Wyoming County. He also served for a time as a colonel in the New York state militia. In 1851, Doolittle moved to Racine, Wisconsin, where he served as a judge from 1853 to 1856.
Until the Missouri Compromise was repealed, Doolittle was a Democrat. He was elected and then re-elected to the U.S. Senate as a Republican in 1857 and 1863, respectively. He was a delegate to the Peace conference of 1861 in Washington, D.C.