James Sprigg

James Cresap Sprigg (* 1802 in Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland, † October 3, 1852 in Shelbyville, Kentucky ) was an American politician. Between 1841 and 1843 he represented the state of Kentucky in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

James Sprigg was a younger brother of Michael Sprigg (1791-1845), who represented 1827-1831 the State of Maryland in Congress. He attended the public schools of his home in Maryland; then he moved to Shelbyville, Kentucky. After a subsequent study of law and qualifying as a lawyer, he began to work in this profession. At the same time he embarked on a political career. In his new home, he held several local offices. Between 1830 and 1834, and again from 1837 to 1840 he was a delegate in the House of Representatives from Kentucky.

In the 1830s, Sprigg joined the Whig party to. In the congressional elections of 1840 he was in the eighth election district of Kentucky in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington DC chosen, where he became the successor of William J. Graves on March 4, 1841. In the following elections in 1842 he applied unsuccessfully as an independent candidate to his whereabouts in Congress. His time in Congress was marked by tensions between President John Tyler and the Whigs. It was also at that time already been discussed about a possible annexation of the independent Republic of Texas since 1836 by Mexico.

After retiring from Congress Sprigg again practiced as a lawyer. In his death in 1852 he was elected again to the House of Representatives from Kentucky. He died on 3 October 1852 in Shelbyville.