James Lockhart

James Lockhart (February 13, 1806 – September 7, 1857) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician who served as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Indiana.

Early Life and Career

Lockhart was born in Auburn, Cayuga County, New York. He attended the public schools and moved to Ithaca, New York, about 1826, where he operated a woolen mill. In 1832, he moved to Indiana and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1832 and commenced practice in Evansville, Indiana, in 1834.

Lockhart served as city clerk of Evansville in 1836 and 1837, and as prosecuting attorney of Vanderburg County from 1841 to 1845. He then served as judge of the fourth judicial district from 1846 until 1851, when he resigned. He was a delegate to the Indiana State constitutional convention in 1850.

Congressional Career

Lockhart was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-second Congress, serving from March 4, 1851, to March 3, 1853. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1852. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law in Evansville and was appointed by President Franklin Pierce as superintendent of construction of the marine hospital at Evansville in 1853.

He was elected to the Thirty-fifth Congress but did not serve, as he died in Evansville, Indiana, on September 7, 1857. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery.