Joseph L. Tillinghast

Joseph Leonard Tillinghast (* 1791 in Taunton, Massachusetts, † December 30, 1844 in Providence, Rhode Iceland ) was an American politician. Between 1837 and 1843 he represented the second electoral district of the state of Rhode Iceland in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

Joseph Tillinghast was a cousin of Thomas Tillinghast, who had represented 1797-1803 twice the state of Rhode Iceland in the U.S. House of Representatives. He soon came to Rhode Iceland, where he learned a good education; later he went into the newspaper business. In 1809 he published the newspaper " Providence Gazette". After studying law and his 1811 was admitted as a lawyer in Providence, he began to work in his new profession. Politically, he was in opposition to Andrew Jackson and his Democratic Party. Therefore, it was the early 1830s a member of the newly founded Whig party. Between 1826 and 1833 Tillinghast was a deputy in the House of Representatives from Rhode Iceland; at times he was president of the house.

1836 Tillinghast was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he became the successor of Dutee Jerauld Pearce on March 4, 1837. After two re- election he was able to complete in Congress until March 3, 1843 three legislative periods. There he experienced the political conflict of his party with President John Tyler, who, although he had originally come from this party, distanced himself more and more from her and had approached the Democrats. In 1842, Tillinghast gave up another candidacy. Already since 1833 until his death he was curator of Brown University in Providence. He died in December 1844.