Sedgwick, C. B. (Charles Baldwin), 1815-1883

American lawyer and Congressman.

American lawyer; Congressman from New York.

Charles Baldwin Sedgwick (1815-1883) was an American attorney and U.S. Congressman from New York State. While an attorney in Syracuse he was a member of the defense counsel for the Jerry Rescue case.

Sedgwick was born on March 15, 1815 near Pompey, New York. His parents, Stephen and Anne Baldwin Sedgwick, sent him to Pompey Hill Academy. Later in 1834 he graduated from Hamilton College. Around 1835 he married Ellen Smith who died in 1846. In 1847 Sedgwick married Deborah Gannett of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In 1846 Sedgwick moved from Pompey to Syracuse, N.Y. and opened a law office. During the latter part of the decade he became involved with various social reform causes, particularly the anti-slavery movement. He was affiliated with American Anti-Slavery Society, and was a member of the Syracuse Vigilance Committee which aided runaway slaves. Sedgwick was one of the attorneys for the defense in the Jerry Rescue Case.

Sedgwick was elected to Congress in 1859 where he served two consecutive terms as the representative of the twenty-forth District. As a member of Congress he distinguished himself as an anti-slavery advocate, and as Chairman of the Navy Committee. In 1863 he returned to private life, and the practice of law.

See the attached genealogical table for the Sedgwick family tree.