Monroe, James, 1821-1898

James Monroe (1821-1898) was born in 1821 to New England Quakers. Well-educated, Monroe joined the American Anti-Slavery Society lecture circuit in 1841. In 1844 he enrolled in Oberlin College and earned the A.B. in 1846 and the B.D. in 1849. After holding a pastorate in Sandusky, Ohio, he was named professor of Belles Lettres at Oberlin College in 1849. Monroe's antislavery activity led him through several political changes, moving from Garrisonian views, to the Liberty and Free-Soil parties before joining the new Republican party. In 1855 he was elected to the Ohio legislature. Monroe served in the Ohio state house, 1855-59, and the state senate, 1859-62. In 1862 he was named U.S. consul to Rio de Janeiro, serving from 1863 to 1869. He returned to Oberlin and was elected to U.S. Congress, 1871-81. He was named professor of Political Economy and Modern History at Oberlin College in 1883, retiring in 1896.