March 4, 1869
James C. McGrew begins representing West Virginia in Congress
James Clark McGrew of Kingwood began the first of two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. A merchant and banker who had opposed Virginia’s secession in 1861, McGrew represented West Virginia’s Second Congressional District until March 3, 1873.
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Sources and further reading
Where this entry comes from
U.S. House of Representatives, History, Art & Archives — James Clark McGrew
Research notes
What the evidence establishes
March 4, 1869, is the official beginning of McGrew’s service in the Forty-first Congress. He served through March 3, 1873, chaired the Committee on Mileage during the Forty-second Congress, and declined renomination in 1872.
McGrew was born near Brandonville on September 14, 1813, when the location was in Monongalia County, Virginia. Preston County was formed in 1818.
The linked portrait depicts McGrew between approximately 1860 and 1875 and is illustrative of the individual, not his first day in Congress. The Library of Congress reports no known restrictions on publication.
Related historical photograph
Hon. James Clark McGrew of West Virginia, between 1860 and 1875
Brady-Handy Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. No known restrictions on publication. This is a portrait of McGrew, not a photograph of his first day in Congress.
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