Jacob Broom (congressman)
Encyclopedia
Jacob Broom was an American Party
member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
.
Jacob Broom (who was the son of Delaware
congressman James Madison Broom and grandson of Delaware politician Jacob Broom
) was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He moved to Philadelphia with his parents in 1819. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1832 and started practicing in Philadelphia. He was appointed deputy auditor of the State in 1840, and clerk of the Philadelphia Orphans’ Court from 1848 to 1852.
Broom ran for President of the United States
under unusual circumstances for the American Party, generally known as the Know Nothing
Party. Broom presided over the national convention of the Native American Party, which nominated Daniel Webster
as its presidential candidate. At the convention, the party also changed its name to the American Party. When Webster died nine days before the election, Broom was hurriedly named as his replacement, with Reynell Coates
of New Jersey as his running mate. Broom received 2,566 popular votes (0.08%), finishing a poor fifth behind Webster (6,994 votes, 0.22%), who had also been nominated by the Union Party of Georgia. Neither Webster nor Broom received any electoral votes.
Congress in 1854. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Revolutionary Pensions during the Thirty-fourth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1856
and for election to the Thirty-sixth
Congress in 1858
. He died in Washington, D.C.
in 1864. Interment in Congressional Cemetery
.
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Jacob Broom (who was the son of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
congressman James Madison Broom and grandson of Delaware politician Jacob Broom
Jacob Broom
Jacob Broom was an American businessman and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. As a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, he was a signer of the U.S. Constitution. He was also appointed as a delegate to the Annapolis Convention but did not attend, and...
) was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He moved to Philadelphia with his parents in 1819. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1832 and started practicing in Philadelphia. He was appointed deputy auditor of the State in 1840, and clerk of the Philadelphia Orphans’ Court from 1848 to 1852.
Campaign for President
In 1852United States presidential election, 1852
The United States presidential election of 1852 bore important similarities to the election of 1844. Once again, the incumbent president was a Whig who had succeeded to the presidency upon the death of his war-hero predecessor. In this case, it was Millard Fillmore who followed General Zachary Taylor...
Broom ran for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
under unusual circumstances for the American Party, generally known as the Know Nothing
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
Party. Broom presided over the national convention of the Native American Party, which nominated Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
as its presidential candidate. At the convention, the party also changed its name to the American Party. When Webster died nine days before the election, Broom was hurriedly named as his replacement, with Reynell Coates
Reynell Coates
Reynell Coates was an American physician, scientist, teacher, and poet....
of New Jersey as his running mate. Broom received 2,566 popular votes (0.08%), finishing a poor fifth behind Webster (6,994 votes, 0.22%), who had also been nominated by the Union Party of Georgia. Neither Webster nor Broom received any electoral votes.
Congressional Service
Broom was elected as a candidate of the American Party to the Thirty-fourth34th United States Congress
The Thirty-fourth 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. from March 4, 1855 to March 4, 1857, during the last two years...
Congress in 1854. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Revolutionary Pensions during the Thirty-fourth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1856
United States House election, 1856
The U.S. House election of 1856 returned a semblance of normality to the Democratic Party, as they retook a House majority and retained the presidency...
and for election to the Thirty-sixth
36th United States Congress
The Thirty-sixth 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. from March 4, 1859 to March 4, 1861, during the third and fourth...
Congress in 1858
United States House election, 1858
Following the U.S. House election of 1858, the Republicans gained control of the House for the first time, benefiting from the continued breakdown in the anti-immigration and anti-Catholic American Party of the Know Nothing Movement, and from strife within the Democratic Party.The Republicans were...
. He died in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1864. Interment in Congressional Cemetery
Congressional Cemetery
The Congressional Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the final resting place of thousands of individuals who helped form the nation and the city of Washington in the early 19th century. Many members of...
.