James Tallmadge, Jr.

James Tallmadge Jr. (January 28, 1778 – September 29, 1853) was a United States lawyer, and politician who served as a United States representative from New York's 4th congressional district. He introduced the anti-slavery Tallmadge Amendment to the bill admitting Missouri as a state, which triggered a serious political conflict between north and south.

Early life James Tallmadge Jr. was born on January 28, 1778, in Stanford, Dutchess County, New York. His father, Colonel James Tallmadge (1744–1821), led a company of volunteers at the capture of General John Burgoyne. He graduated from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island in 1798.

U.S. House of Representatives

Representative-elect Henry B. Lee died on September 16, 1816. In the special election to replace him, Tallmadge was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Fifteenth Congress. He served from June 6, 1817, to March 3, 1819.

In support of this amendment, on February 16, 1819, he delivered a powerful speech in opposition to the extension of slavery. This speech was widely circulated, and was translated into German. The House adopted the Tallmadge Amendment, but the Senate rejected it.

Later career Tallmadge declined to run for a second term in the House. He continued the practice of law in New York City, and took a prominent role in civic affairs. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1821, a member of the New York State Assembly in 1824, and Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1825 to 1826.