James Milnor

James Milnor (June 20, 1773, Philadelphia – April 8, 1845, Manhattan, New York) was an American lawyer, Federalist member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, and Episcopal clergyman who served for nearly three decades as rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in New York City. Over the course of his varied career, he practiced law for sixteen years (1794–1810), represented Pennsylvania in the Twelfth Congress (1811–1813), and then devoted more than twenty-nine and a half years (from mid-1814 to 1845) to the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal Church.

Milnor was born in Philadelphia, the son of William Milnor Sr. and Anna Breintnall. He attended public grammar school in Philadelphia and pursued higher studies at the University of Pennsylvania, though he initially did not complete a degree there. On February 28, 1799, he married Eleanor Pawling, daughter of Henry Pawling and Rebecca Bull, thereby connecting himself with established Pennsylvania families. His brother, William Milnor Jr., would also go on to serve as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania and as mayor of Philadelphia, underscoring the family’s prominence in the civic and political life of the city.

After his early schooling, Milnor turned to the study of law. He read law in Philadelphia, was admitted to the bar in 1794, and commenced practice in Norristown, Pennsylvania. In 1797 he returned to Philadelphia, where he continued in active legal practice until 1810. During this period he became involved in public and philanthropic affairs. In 1798 he served as an officer of the Pennsylvania Society, which at that time was engaged in a movement to abolish slavery, reflecting his participation in early organized antislavery efforts. He was also a Freemason and served as grand master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania from 1806 to 1813, a position that placed him at the head of one of the most influential fraternal organizations in the state.

Milnor’s civic career in Philadelphia developed alongside his legal practice. He was elected a member of the Philadelphia Common Council in 1800, marking his entry into municipal government. From 1805 to 1810 he served on the Select Council, the upper chamber of the city’s bicameral council system, and was chosen president of that body in 1808 and 1809. Through these roles he participated in the governance and modernization of Philadelphia during a period of urban growth and political realignment in the early republic.

In October 1810, Milnor, a member of the Federalist Party, was elected to represent Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District in the Twelfth Congress. He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1811 to 1813, a time marked by rising tensions that culminated in the War of 1812. As a Federalist representative from Pennsylvania, he contributed to the legislative process during this significant period in American history, participating in debates over national policy and representing the interests of his urban constituency. His congressional service coincided with his growing interest in religious questions, and while in Washington, D.C., he began studying divinity under Bishop William White, the influential Episcopal bishop of Pennsylvania.

After leaving Congress at the close of his term in 1813, Milnor turned decisively from law and politics to theology. He pursued formal preparation for the ministry and was ordained as a minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church. In mid-1814 he entered active clerical service, beginning what would be more than twenty-nine and a half years in the Episcopal priesthood. That same year he was appointed assistant minister of St. Peter’s Church in Philadelphia, one of the city’s principal Episcopal parishes, where he quickly gained a reputation as a capable and earnest preacher.

Milnor’s ministerial career reached its fullest expression in New York City. In 1816 he was elected rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan, a position he would hold until his death in 1845. Under his long rectorship, St. George’s became a prominent evangelical-leaning Episcopal parish, known for active preaching and outreach in a rapidly growing city. Among his parishioners was Mary Simpson, an African-American grocer who lived on John Street, illustrating the social and racial diversity of the community he served. His standing in religious and educational circles was further recognized on July 29, 1819, when the University of Pennsylvania conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity, thereby formally acknowledging both his earlier connection to the institution and his distinction as a clergyman.

In addition to his parochial duties, Milnor played a broader role in the charitable and educational life of New York. In 1829 he began his tenure as president of the New York Institution for the Deaf, contributing to the governance and support of one of the nation’s early institutions dedicated to the education of deaf persons. His leadership there reflected his wider commitment to benevolent enterprises and social improvement, consistent with the reformist and philanthropic impulses of the early nineteenth century.

James Milnor died in New York City on April 8, 1845, while still serving as rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church. He was interred in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. Many biographical sources have incorrectly given the year of his death as 1844, an error that has been widely repeated; the digitization of historical newspapers has since clarified that he died on April 8, 1845, rather than in 1844, thereby correcting the historical record of his long and varied career in law, politics, and the Episcopal ministry.