Rockwell, John A. (John Arnold), 1803-1861

Connecticut Representative and chairman of the Committee on Claims born in Norwich, Connecticut.

From the description of Incoming correspondence, 1846-1861. (Hartford Public Library). WorldCat record id: 57615941

U.S. Congressman from Connecticut.

From the description of Tax receipt, 1838 Jan. 18. (Ohio Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 42288957

Born in Norwich, New London, Connecticut, a lawyer and congressman.

From the description of Letter, Nov. 14, 1861. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 54101920

John Arnold Rockwell (1803-1861) was the younger of two sons of Captain Charles Rockwell (1768-1826) and Sally Arnold Rockwell ( -1803) of Norwich, Conn. His mother died when he was an infant, and he and his brother Charles William Rockwell (1799-1866) were raised by their aunt Betsey Rockwell (1762-1847). John graduated from Yale and practiced law in Norwich. He was active in Connecticut state politics and was elected to two terms in the United States Congress, 1845-1849. He was the principal promoter and president of the Norwich & Worcester Railroad Company.

From the description of Papers, 1798-1867. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 207167117

John Arnold Rockwell (1803-1861), American jurist, Whig politician, and businessman. A native of Norwich, Conn. and a graduate of Yale (class of 1822), he was a member of the State senate (1839), and the judge of the New London county court (1840). He represented the state, as a Whig, in the Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth Congresses. Rockwell served as the chairman of the Committee on Claims in the Thirtieth Congress, and was the chief founder of the Court of Claims in Washington (est. 1855). Having lost his re-election bid in 1848, he practiced law before the Court of Claims of the United States until his death in Washington, D.C. on February 10, 1861. Rockwell and his brother Charles William Rockwell were actively involved in various enterprises having to do with the westward expansion, including land development, railroads, transportation, banking, etc. In 1836 they founded the Rockwell Land Company with the purpose of land development in La Salle County, Ill. Rockwell was married to Mary Watkindson Perkins (d. 1887).

From the description of John A. Rockwell papers, 1791-1871. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 228769766

John A. Rockwell, legal counsel for Barron, Forbes & Company in issues regarding the ownership of the New Almaden Quicksilver Mine in California.

From the description of New Almaden Mine papers, 1850-1859. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702132389