James Bowen Everhart

James Bowen Everhart (July 26, 1821 – August 23, 1888) was an American politician and lawyer from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania’s 6th congressional district from 1883 to 1887 and as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 19th district from 1876 to 1882. He was born in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, to Hannah (née Matlack) Everhart and William Everhart. His family was prominent in the region: his grandfather, James Everhart, served as a soldier in the U.S. Army during the American Revolutionary War, and his father, William Everhart, was a successful merchant in West Chester, Pennsylvania, a surveyor, and a member of the U.S. Congress. His brother, Benjamin Matlack Everhart, became known as a mycologist.

Everhart received his early education at Bolmar’s Academy in West Chester, a well-regarded local institution. He then attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), from which he graduated in 1842. Pursuing a legal career, he studied law at Harvard Law School and continued his legal studies in Philadelphia. He was admitted to the bar in 1845. Seeking further intellectual development, Everhart went abroad after his admission to the bar and spent approximately two years in study at the Universities of Berlin and Edinburgh, gaining exposure to European legal and philosophical thought before returning to Pennsylvania.

Upon his return to the United States, Everhart settled in West Chester and commenced the practice of law. He built a professional life in his native county, combining legal work with literary and civic interests. During the American Civil War, he served in the Union defense effort as a member of Company B, Tenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Militia, reflecting his support for the Union cause during a critical period in national history. Alongside his legal and military service, he developed a reputation as a writer, noted for a terse and concise style.

Everhart entered state politics in the postwar era. As a member of the Republican Party representing Pennsylvania, he was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate from the 19th district, serving from 1876 to 1882. In that capacity, he participated in the legislative process during a period of industrial growth and political realignment in Pennsylvania, representing the interests of his constituents in Chester County and contributing to the formulation of state policy in the late Reconstruction and early Gilded Age years.

Building on his state legislative experience, Everhart was elected as a Republican to the Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1887, for Pennsylvania’s 6th congressional district. His two terms in Congress coincided with a significant period in American history marked by debates over tariffs, civil service reform, and economic development. As a member of the Republican Party representing Pennsylvania, James Bowen Everhart contributed to the legislative process during his two terms in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents at the national level. In 1886 he was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination, which brought his congressional service to a close at the end of the Forty-ninth Congress.

After leaving Congress, Everhart resumed the practice of law in West Chester, returning to the profession that had anchored much of his adult life. He also continued his literary pursuits. His published writings, marked by terseness of style, included “Miscellanies, in Prose” (West Chester, Pa., 1862), a volume of short poems (Philadelphia, 1868), and “The Fox Chase,” a poem (Philadelphia, 1875). These works reflected both his classical education and his engagement with local themes and American letters, adding a literary dimension to a career otherwise centered on law and public service.

James Bowen Everhart died in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on August 23, 1888. He was interred in Oaklands Cemetery in West Chester. His life and career linked three generations of a family active in public service, commerce, science, and the professions, and he is remembered as a lawyer, legislator, Civil War militia officer, and author who represented Chester County and Pennsylvania in both state and national government.