Charles Jared Ingersoll

Charles Jared Ingersoll (October 3, 1782 – May 14, 1862) was an American lawyer, writer and politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district from 1813 to 1815, Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district from 1841 to 1843 and Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district from 1843 to 1849. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1830.

Early life and education Ingersoll was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Jared Ingersoll and Elizabeth Petit. His father served in the Continental Congress and his brother of Joseph Reed Ingersoll served as a member of the U.S. House of Representative for Pennsylvania. His maternal grandfather, Charles Pettit, served as a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Confederation Congress.

Charles Ingersoll dropped out of the College of New Jersey, later Princeton University, in 1799. He then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1802 and commenced practice in Philadelphia. He traveled in Europe, accompanied by Rufus King, the United States minister to the United Kingdom.

Congress In 1812, Ingersoll was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Thirteenth Congress, where he served as chairman of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1814, having been appointed United States district attorney for Pennsylvania. He served in that office from 1815 to 1829, and was a member of the Pennsylvania canal and internal improvement convention in 1825. In 1829, he was removed from the office of district attorney by U.S. President Andrew Jackson.

In 1815, Ingersoll was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society.

He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1830, and a member of the State constitutional convention in 1837. He was appointed secretary of the legation to Prussia on March 8, 1837. He was an unsuccessful candidate in 1837 for election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Francis J. Harper in the Twenty-fifth Congress. He was again an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1838.

Ingersoll was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-seventh and to the three succeeding Congresses. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs during the Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Congresses).

He was not a candidate for renomination in 1848.

Later career He was appointed Minister to France in 1847 but was not confirmed by the Senate.

Beginning in 1845 Ingersoll wrote several editions of a history of the War of 1812, including descriptions of the Congressional investigation of the Burning of Washington in 1814.

Death He died in Philadelphia on May 14, 1862.

Personal life In 1804, Ingersoll married Mary Wilcocks, the daughter of Alexander Wilcocks, and together had six surviving sons and 2 daughters. His son Edward Ingersoll wrote on legal topics.