James Sullivan Wiley

James Sullivan Wiley (January 22, 1808 – December 21, 1891) was a U.S. Representative from Maine and a member of the Democratic Party who served one term in Congress during a significant period in American history. He was born in Mercer, Massachusetts (then part of Massachusetts, now in Maine), where he spent his early years before moving as a young man to pursue educational and professional opportunities that would lead to a long career in law and public service.

In 1826 Wiley moved to Bethel, Maine, where he continued his education and attended Gould Academy, an important regional preparatory school. Seeking further advancement, he enrolled at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, one of the state’s leading institutions of higher learning. He graduated from Colby College in 1836, an achievement that positioned him among the relatively small number of college-educated men in Maine at the time and laid the groundwork for his subsequent work as an educator and lawyer.

After completing his college education, Wiley moved to Dover, Maine, where he became an instructor at Foxcroft Academy, a prominent local academy serving the Dover-Foxcroft area. While engaged in teaching, he undertook the study of law, reflecting a common 19th-century path in which aspiring attorneys read law under supervision rather than attending formal law schools. He was admitted to the Piscataquis County bar in 1839 and commenced the practice of law in Dover, establishing himself as a local attorney and community figure.

Wiley’s legal and civic standing led to his election as a Democrat to the Thirtieth Congress, where he served from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1849, representing Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a member of the Democratic Party, he contributed to the legislative process during his single term in office, participating in debates and votes at a time when issues such as territorial expansion and the future of slavery in new territories dominated national politics. His known congressional activity included delivering a speech on the acquisition of territory, reflecting his engagement with one of the central questions of American policy in the late 1840s. During this period, he represented the interests of his Maine constituents while taking part in the broader democratic process of the nation.

At the conclusion of his term in Congress, Wiley did not seek or did not secure reelection and returned to private life. He resumed the practice of law in Dover, continuing his legal career and remaining an active figure in the community. His residence in Dover-Foxcroft, built in 1849, later gained historical recognition and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, underscoring his local prominence and the preservation of his connection to the town.

In 1889, late in life, Wiley moved to Fryeburg, Maine, where he continued to practice law despite his advanced age. He remained professionally active until his death in Fryeburg on December 21, 1891. James Sullivan Wiley was interred in Smart Hill Cemetery, leaving behind a legacy as an educator, lawyer, and one-term Democratic member of Congress who participated in the national debates of a formative era in United States history.