James William Gazlay

James William Gazlay (July 23, 1784 – June 8, 1874) was an American lawyer, newspaper editor, and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio for one term from 1823 to 1825. Born in New York City on July 23, 1784, he moved with his parents in 1789 to Dutchess County, New York, where he spent his youth. He attended the common schools and subsequently pursued an academic course, laying the foundation for his later professional and political career.

Gazlay studied law in Poughkeepsie, New York, and was admitted to the bar in 1809. He commenced the practice of law in New York and built his early professional reputation there. In 1813 he moved west to Cincinnati, Ohio, a growing commercial and legal center on the Ohio River, where he continued the practice of law. His relocation to Cincinnati placed him in a region undergoing rapid development and political change, and he soon became identified with the legal and civic life of his adopted city.

As a member of the Unknown Party representing Ohio, James William Gazlay contributed to the legislative process during one term in office. More specifically, he was elected as a Jackson Republican to the Eighteenth Congress and served from March 4, 1823, to March 3, 1825. His election occurred during a significant period in American history marked by the emergence of new political alignments in the era following the War of 1812. In his successful campaign for Congress, he defeated Ohio State Senator and future President William Henry Harrison, a notable figure in both military and political life. During his service in Congress, Gazlay participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his Ohio constituents as the nation grappled with issues of expansion, economic policy, and evolving party structures.

Gazlay sought to continue his congressional career but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1824 to the Nineteenth Congress. After leaving Congress in 1825, he returned to civilian life in Cincinnati and resumed his engagement in public affairs through legal and literary work. In 1826 and 1827 he edited a weekly paper called the Western Tiller, using journalism as another avenue for commentary on public issues and for participation in the civic discourse of the growing city and region. He also engaged in broader literary pursuits, reflecting his interest in letters beyond the strictly legal and political realms.

James William Gazlay lived the remainder of his long life in Cincinnati. He died there on June 8, 1874, at the age of eighty-nine. He was interred in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, a prominent burial ground for many of the city’s leading citizens, marking the final resting place of a lawyer, editor, and former member of Congress who had participated in the early political development of Ohio and the United States.