In 1876, Beck was appointed a member of the commission to define the boundary line between Maryland and Virginia. He was then elected to the United States Senate in 1876, being reelected twice, serving from March 4, 1877, until his death in Washington, D.C. on May 3, 1890. Long-time Washington journalist Benjamin Perley Poore described Beck during his time in the Senate as "a stalwart, farmer-like looking man, with that overcharged brain which made his tongue at times falter because he could not utter what his furious, fiery eloquence prompted."[2] While in the Senate, Beck was the Democratic Conference Chairman from 1885 to 1890, and the chairman of the Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard. He was prominent in the discussion of tariff and currency questions.
james, beck, james, burnie, beck, february, 1822, 1890, scottish, american, united, states, representative, senator, from, kentucky, james, beckchairman, senate, democratic, caucusin, office, march, 1885, 1890preceded, bygeorge, pendletonsucceeded, byarthur, g. James Burnie Beck February 13 1822 May 3 1890 was a Scottish American United States Representative and Senator from Kentucky James BeckChairman of the Senate Democratic CaucusIn office March 4 1885 May 3 1890Preceded byGeorge H PendletonSucceeded byArthur Pue GormanUnited States Senatorfrom KentuckyIn office March 4 1877 May 3 1890Preceded byJohn W StevensonSucceeded byJohn G CarlisleMember of the U S House of Representatives from Kentucky s 7th districtIn office March 4 1867 March 3 1875Preceded byGeorge S ShanklinSucceeded byJoseph BlackburnPersonal detailsBornJames Burnie Beck 1822 02 13 February 13 1822Dumfriesshire Scotland UKDiedMay 3 1890 1890 05 03 aged 68 Washington D C U S Resting placeLexington Cemetery Lexington KentuckyPolitical partyDemocraticEducationTransylvania University BA Signature Contents 1 Life 2 See also 3 Notes 4 ReferencesLife editBorn in Dumfriesshire Scotland Beck migrated to the United States in 1838 and settled in Wyoming County New York He moved to Lexington Kentucky in 1843 and graduated from Transylvania University in 1846 Beck was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Lexington Until shortly before the Civil War he was a law partner of John C Breckinridge the U S Vice President who became a Confederate general during the Civil War Beck was interrogated by a military commission about his knowledge of his former partner s activities After the war Beck was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives serving Kentucky s 7th congressional district He was appointed to the Select Committee on Reconstruction where it was expected that as a newcomer and an immigrant he would be no obstacle to Republican intentions but he immediately became a tenacious advocate of the rights of the defeated states A White supremacist he opposed civil rights for African Americans 1 He was reelected three times as a Representative serving from March 4 1867 to March 3 1875 In 1876 Beck was appointed a member of the commission to define the boundary line between Maryland and Virginia He was then elected to the United States Senate in 1876 being reelected twice serving from March 4 1877 until his death in Washington D C on May 3 1890 Long time Washington journalist Benjamin Perley Poore described Beck during his time in the Senate as a stalwart farmer like looking man with that overcharged brain which made his tongue at times falter because he could not utter what his furious fiery eloquence prompted 2 While in the Senate Beck was the Democratic Conference Chairman from 1885 to 1890 and the chairman of the Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard He was prominent in the discussion of tariff and currency questions He is interred at Lexington Cemetery His son George T Beck was a noted politician and entrepreneur in the state of Wyoming See also editList of United States senators born outside the United States List of United States Congress members who died in office 1790 1899 Notes editThis article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations July 2014 Learn how and when to remove this message Friedlander Alan Gerber Richard Allan November 22 2018 Welcoming Ruin The Civil Rights Act of 1875 BRILL ISBN 9789004384071 Poore Ben Perley Perley s Reminiscences of Sixty Years in the National Metropolis Vol 2 p 360 1886 References editUnited States Congress James B Beck id B000289 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress U S Congress Memorial Addresses for James Beck 51st Cong 2nd sess from 1890 to 1891 Washington D C Government Printing Office 1891 Gilman D C Peck H T Colby F M eds 1905 Beck James Burnie New International Encyclopedia 1st ed New York Dodd Mead Wilson J G Fiske J eds 1900 Beck James Burnie Appletons Cyclopaedia of American Biography New York D Appleton U S House of Representatives Preceded byGeorge S Shanklin Member of the U S House of Representativesfrom Kentucky s 7th congressional district1867 1875 Succeeded byJoseph Blackburn U S Senate Preceded byJohn W Stevenson U S Senator Class 2 from Kentucky1877 1890 Served alongside Thomas C McCreery John Williams Joseph Blackburn Succeeded byJohn G Carlisle Preceded byAngus Cameron Chair of the Senate Seaboard Transportation Routes Committee1879 1881 Succeeded byBenjamin Harrison Party political offices Preceded byGeorge H Pendleton Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus1885 1890 Succeeded byArthur Pue Gorman Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title James B Beck amp oldid 1194090457, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
