J. Mayhew Wainwright Explained

Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright
Image Name:J. Mayhew Wainwright, 03824u.jpg
State1:New York
District1:25th
Term Start1:March 4, 1923
Term End1:March 3, 1931
Preceded1:James W. Husted
Succeeded1:Charles D. Millard
Office:United States Assistant Secretary of War
Term Start:March 14, 1921
Term End:March 4, 1923
Successor:Dwight Filley Davis
State Senate2:New York
District2:24th
Term Start2:January 1, 1909
Term End2:December 31, 1912
Preceded2:John C. R. Taylor
Succeeded2:John F. Healy
Office3:Member of the
New York State Assembly
Constituency3:2nd Westchester (1902–06)
4th Westchester (1907–08)
Term Start3:January 1, 1902
Term End3:December 31, 1908
Preceded3:Alford W. Cooley
Succeeded3:George W. Mead
Birth Date:10 December 1864
Birth Place:Manhattan, New York City
Birth Name:Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright
Death Place:Rye, New York
Party:Republican Party
Parents:John Howard Wainwright
Margaret Livingston Stuyvesant
Occupation:Attorney
Education:Columbia College
Columbia Law School

Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright (December 10, 1864 – June 3, 1945) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.[1] He was the United States Assistant Secretary of War from 1921 to 1923.

Early life

Wainwright was born in Manhattan, New York City, to John Howard Wainwright and Margaret Livingston (née Stuyvesant) Wainwright.[2] His older brother was Stuyvesant Wainwright (father of Carroll Livingston Wainwright), and their paternal grandfather was the Rt. Rev. Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright, Bishop of New York.

His maternal grandfather was Nicholas Stuyvesant, a son of Nicholas William Stuyvesant, grandson of the merchant Peter Stuyvesant, all direct descendants of Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch Director-General of New Amsterdam. U.S. Army General Jonathan M. Wainwright was his cousin.[3]

Wainwright graduated from Columbia College; from Columbia School of Political Science in 1884, and from Columbia Law School in 1886.[1] While at Columbia, he was a member of St. Anthony Hall.

Career

In 1886, he was admitted to the bar the same year and practiced in New York City and in Westchester County. He served in the Twelfth Infantry of the New York National Guard (1889–1903), and in the Spanish–American War as captain of the Twelfth Regiment of New York Volunteers.

Wainwright was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906 (all five Westchester Co., 2nd D.), 1907 and 1908 (both Westchester Co., 4th D.).[1]

He was a member of the New York State Senate (24th D.) from 1909 to 1912, sitting in the 132nd, 133rd, 134th and 135th New York State Legislatures.[1]

He was appointed as a member of the first New York State Workmen's Compensation Commission in 1914 and served until 1915. He served as lieutenant colonel, inspector general's department, New York National Guard, on the Mexican border in 1916. During the First World War, Wainwright served as a lieutenant colonel in the Twenty-seventh Division from 1917 to 1919.[1]

He was appointed by President Warren G. Harding to serve as Assistant Secretary of War from March 14, 1921, to March 4, 1923, when he resigned.[1]

Wainwright was elected as a Republican to the 68th, 69th, 70th and 71st United States Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1923, to March 3, 1931. He resumed the practice of law and served as a member of the Westchester County Park Commission from 1930 to 1937.

Personal life

He married Laura Wallace Buchanan (1865–1946) on November 23, 1892 in New York. Together, they were the parents of:[4] [5]

He died on June 3, 1945, in Rye, New York.[8] His funeral was held at Christ's Church, Rye,[8] and he was buried at the Greenwood Union Cemetery.[1]

References

Notes
Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: WAINWRIGHT, Jonathan Mayhew - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. 25 October 2017.
  2. Web site: Kestenbaum . Lawrence . March 10, 2021 . Delta Psi Politicians . 2022-03-10 . The Political Graveyard.
  3. Deaths: J. Mayhew Wainwright . The Living Church . Milwaukee, WI . Morehouse-Gorham Co. . June 17, 1945 . 22.
  4. News: Patch. Alfred. Rye's Wainwright House Profiled in The New York Times. 25 October 2017. Rye, NY Patch. 31 March 2015.
  5. News: Mardis. Walt. Wainwright House Faces a New Set of Challenges. 25 October 2017. www.ryerecord.com. 26 August 2011. en-gb.
  6. News: Gorce. Tammy La. Wainwright House, a Haven for the Spirit on Long Island Sound. 25 October 2017. The New York Times. 28 March 2015.
  7. Web site: Mare. J.. Wollaston. John. Robert Gilbert Livingston. arcade.nyarc.org. Frick Art Reference Library Photoarchive. 25 October 2017.
  8. News: J. M. Wainwright Dies In Rye At 80. Former Assistant Secretary of War, Ex-Representative, Was a Cousin of General Advocate of Preparedness Exponent of Dry Law Began Political Career in 1902. Served on Mexican Border . . June 4, 1945 .