Amos J. Cummings

Amos J. Cummings
Amos J. Cummings
Member of the; U.S. House of Representatives; from New York
	In office; November 5, 1895 – May 2, 1902
Preceded by	Daniel Sickles
Succeeded by	Edward Swann
Constituency	10th district
	In office; November 5, 1889 – November 21, 1894
Preceded by	Samuel S. Cox
Succeeded by	William Sulzer
Constituency	9th district (1889–93); 11th district (1893–94)
	In office; March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889
Preceded by	Nicholas Muller
Succeeded by	Frank T. Fitzgerald
Constituency	6th district
Chair of the House Committee on Naval Affairs
	In office; 1893–1894
Personal details
Born	May 15, 1841; Conklin, New York
Died	May 2, 1902 (aged 60); Baltimore, Maryland
Political party	Democratic
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Union Army
Years of service	1862–1863
Rank	Sergeant major
Unit	26th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Second Brigade, VI Corps
Battles/wars	American Civil War
Awards	Medal of Honor

Amos Jay Cummings (May 15, 1841 – May 2, 1902) was an American newspaperman, Civil War veteran, and politician who served as a United States Representative from New York from 1889 to 1894, and from 1895 to 1902.

He was a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

Biography

Born in Conklin, New York, Cummings attended the common schools before being apprenticed to the printing trade at age twelve.^[1]

Cummings claimed he was with William Walker in his last invasion of Nicaragua in October 1858, but this is disputed by Cummings' biographer.^[2]

During the Civil War, Cummings enlisted in the army at Irvington, New Jersey, in September 1862 and served as a sergeant major in the 26th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He earned the Medal of Honor on May 4, 1863, at Salem Heights, Virginia. His official citation reads: "Rendered great assistance in the heat of the action in rescuing a part of the field batteries from an extremely dangerous and exposed position." His medal was not awarded until several decades later, on March 28, 1894. He was mustered out in June 1863.

Journalism

After his military service, Cummings filled editorial positions for the New York Tribune under Horace Greeley. He later worked for The New York Sun and the New York Express. He published a series of popular travel accounts of Florida and the American West for The New York Sun.^[3]^[2]

Congress

Cummings was elected as a Democrat to the 50th Congress (March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889). He declined renomination in 1888, but was subsequently elected to the 51st Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Samuel S. Cox. He was reelected to the 52nd and 53rd Congresses and served from November 5, 1889, to November 21, 1894, when he resigned. He served as chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs during the 53rd Congress.

Cummings was elected to the 54th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative-elect Andrew J. Campbell. He was reelected to the 55th, 56th, and 57th Congresses, serving from November 5, 1895, until his death on May 2, 1902.

Cummings died in Baltimore, Maryland of pneumonia on May 2, 1902. ^[4] He was interred in Clinton Cemetery in Irvington, New Jersey.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant Major, 26th New Jersey Infantry. Place and date: At Salem Heights, Va., 4 May 1863. Entered service at: Irvington, N.J. Born: 15 May 1841, Conklin, N.Y. Date of issue. 28 March 1894.

Citation:

Rendered great assistance in the heat of the action in rescuing a part of the field batteries from an extremely dangerous and exposed position.^[5]

Notes

^ Alexander K. McClure, ed. (1902). Famous American Statesmen & Orators. Vol. VI. New York: F. F. Lovell Publishing Company. p. 106.
^ ^a ^b Cummings, Amos (2008). Milanich, Jerald (ed.). A Remarkable Curiosity: Dispatches from a New York City Journalist's 1873 Railroad Trip Across the American West. Boulder: University Press of Colorado. pp. 12–14. ISBN 9780870819261.
^ Milanich, Jerald (Winter 2002). "Frolicking Bears, Wet Vultures, and Other Mysteries: Amos Jay Cummings's 1873 Description of Mounds in East-Central Florida". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 80 (3): 360–374. JSTOR 30149243.
^ "Amos J. Cummings Dead; The Well-Known New York Congressman Passes Away". The New York Times. New York. May 3, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
^ "Civil War Medal of Honor recipients (A-L)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. June 6, 2007. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2007.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

United States Congress. "Amos J. Cummings (id: C000983)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on January 30, 2008

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Nicholas Muller	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 6th congressional district 1887–1889	Succeeded by Frank T. Fitzgerald
Preceded by Samuel S. Cox	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 9th congressional district November 5, 1889 – March 3, 1893	Succeeded by Thomas J. Bradley
Preceded by John De Witt Warner	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 11th congressional district March 4, 1893 – November 21, 1894	Succeeded by William Sulzer
Preceded by Daniel E. Sickles	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 10th congressional district November 5, 1895 – May 2, 1902	Succeeded by Edward Swann

[McClure-1] Alexander K. McClure, ed. (1902). Famous American Statesmen & Orators. Vol. VI. New York: F. F. Lovell Publishing Company. p. 106.

[:0-2] Cummings, Amos (2008). Milanich, Jerald (ed.). A Remarkable Curiosity: Dispatches from a New York City Journalist's 1873 Railroad Trip Across the American West. Boulder: University Press of Colorado. pp. 12–14. ISBN 9780870819261.

[3] Milanich, Jerald (Winter 2002). "Frolicking Bears, Wet Vultures, and Other Mysteries: Amos Jay Cummings's 1873 Description of Mounds in East-Central Florida". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 80 (3): 360–374. JSTOR 30149243.

[4] "Amos J. Cummings Dead; The Well-Known New York Congressman Passes Away". The New York Times. New York. May 3, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved December 18, 2024.

[AMOHW-5] "Civil War Medal of Honor recipients (A-L)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. June 6, 2007. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2007.

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v t e Chairs of the United States House Committee on Armed Services
Military Affairs Committee (1822–1947)	Eustis Hamilton Vance Hamilton Drayton R. Johnson McKay C. Johnson Thompson Dawson Stanly Haralson Botts Burt Bissell Benton Quitman Faulkner B. Stanton Blair Buffington Schenck Garfield Logan Coburn Banning Sparks Henderson Rosecrans Bragg Townshend Cutcheon Outhwaite Hull Hay Dent Kahn McKenzie Morin James Quin McSwain Hill May
Naval Affairs Committee (1822–1947)	Fuller Crowninshield Storrs Hoffman Anderson White Jarvis Ingham Thomas Wise Parmenter Holmes King F. Stanton Bocock Benson Bocock Morse Sedgwick Rice Pike Scofield Whitthorne Harris Cox Herbert Boutelle Herbert Cummings Geissenhainer Boutelle Foss Padgett Butler Britten Vinson
Armed Services Committee* (from 1947)	Andrews Vinson Short Vinson Rivers Philbin Hébert Price Aspin Dellums Spence Stump Hunter Skelton McKeon Thornberry Smith Rogers
^Alternately named National Security* in 104th and 105th Congresses.

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