Henry Melville Youmans was a politician from the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

.

Youmans was born in Otego, New York and attended the common school

Common school

A common school was a public school in the United States or Canada in the nineteenth century. The term 'common school' was coined by Horace Mann, and refers to the fact that they were meant to serve individuals of all social classes and religions....

s. He was in the employ of the York & Erie Railroad Co. on the Susquehanna

Susquehanna

-In Pennsylvania:*Susquehannock tribe, Native American tribe of Pennsylvania*Susquehanna Bank*Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania*Susquehanna Depot, Pennsylvania, a borough in Susquehanna County...

 division for ten years. He moved to East Saginaw, Michigan

East Saginaw, Michigan

East Saginaw is a defunct city in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan.East Saginaw was founded in 1850, and was incorporated as a village in 1855 and as a city in 1857...

 in 1862 and engaged in the manufacture of lumber and salt from 1863 to 1878. He moved to St. Clair County

St. Clair County, Michigan

-Interstates:* I-69 enters the county from the west, coming from Lansing and Flint, terminating at the approach to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron....

 in 1878 and engaged in farming and lumbering until 1884 when he returned to East Saginaw. Youmans served as mayor of East Saginaw in 1886 and 1887, and also served four terms as alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

.

In the general election of 1890, Youmans ran as the candidate of the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 and defeated incumbent Republican Aaron T. Bliss

Aaron T. Bliss

Aaron Thomas Bliss was a U.S. Representative from and the 25th Governor of the US state of Michigan, and was from Saginaw-Early life in New York:...

 to be elected from Michigan's 8th congressional district

Michigan's 8th congressional district

Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan and Southeast Michigan. It consists of all of Clinton, Ingham, and Livingston counties, and includes the southern portion of Shiawassee and the northern portion of Oakland counties.The district was...

 to the 52nd United States Congress

52nd United States Congress

The Fifty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C...

, serving from March 4, 1891 to March 3, 1893. He was chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1892, losing to Republican William S. Linton

William S. Linton

William Seelye Linton was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Linton was born in St. Clair, Michigan and moved with his parents to Saginaw in 1859, where he attended the public schools. He engaged as clerk in a store at Farwell and became engaged in various activities connected with the...

. He was also unsuccessful against Joseph W. Fordney

Joseph W. Fordney

Joseph Warren Fordney was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Fordney was born on a farm near Hartford City, Indiana where he attended the common schools. He moved to Saginaw, Michigan in June 1869 and engaged in the lumber industry...

 in 1902.

After leaving Congress, Henry M. Youmans became a member of the Michigan Senate

Michigan Senate

The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. The Senate consists of 38 members, who are elected from constituencies having approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents....

 (22nd district) in 1896 and 1897. He engaged in agricultural pursuits in Bridgeport, Michigan

Bridgeport, Michigan

Bridgeport is an unincorporated community in Bridgeport Charter Township, Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also a census-designated place for statistical purposes. The population was 7,849 at the 2000 census. Bridgeport is also the name of a post office with ZIP code 48722...

 until his death in Saginaw

Saginaw, Michigan

Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...

, where he was interred in Brady Hill Cemetery.