Amos J. Cummings

Amos Jay Cummings (May 15, 1841 – May 2, 1902) was a United States Representative from New York and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

Amos J. Cummings
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York
In office November 5, 1895 – May 2, 1902
Preceded by	Daniel Sickles
Succeeded by	Edward Swann
Constituency	10th district
In office November 5, 1889 – November 21, 1894
Preceded by	Samuel S. Cox
Succeeded by	William Sulzer
Constituency	9th district (1889–93) 11th district (1893–94)
In office March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889
Preceded by	Nicholas Muller
Succeeded by	Frank T. Fitzgerald
Constituency	6th district
Chair of the House Committee on Naval Affairs
In office 1893–1894
Personal details
Born	May 15, 1841 Conklin, New York
Died	May 2, 1902 (aged 60) Baltimore, Maryland
Political party	Democratic
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1862–1863
Rank	Sergeant major
Unit	26th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Second Brigade, VI Corps
Battles/wars	American Civil War
Awards	Medal of Honor

Biography

Born in Conklin, New York, Cummings attended the common schools before being apprenticed to the printing trade at age twelve.[1]

Cummings claimed he was with William Walker in his last invasion of Nicaragua in October 1858, but this is disputed by Cummings' biographer.[2]

During the Civil War, Cummings enlisted in the Army at Irvington, New Jersey, in September 1862 and served as a Sergeant Major in the 26th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He earned the Medal of Honor on May 4, 1863, at Salem Heights, Virginia. His official citation reads: "Rendered great assistance in the heat of the action in rescuing a part of the field batteries from an extremely dangerous and exposed position." His medal was not awarded until several decades later, on March 28, 1894. He was mustered out in June 1863.

After his military service, Cummings filled editorial positions for the New York Tribune under Horace Greeley. He later worked for The New York Sun and the New York Express. He published a series of popular travel accounts of Florida and the American West for The New York Sun.[3][2]

Cummings was elected as a Democrat to the 50th Congress (March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889). He declined renomination in 1888, but was subsequently elected to the 51st Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Samuel S. Cox. He was reelected to the 52nd and 53rd Congresses and served from November 5, 1889, to November 21, 1894, when he resigned. He served as chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs during the 53rd Congress.

Cummings was elected to the 54th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative-elect Andrew J. Campbell. He was reelected to the 55th, 56th, and 57th Congresses and served from November 5, 1895, until his death in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 2, 1902. He was interred in Clinton Cemetery in Irvington, New Jersey.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant Major, 26th New Jersey Infantry. Place and date: At Salem Heights, Va., 4 May 1863. Entered service at: Irvington, N.J. Born: 15 May 1841, Conklin, N.Y. Date of issue. 28 March 1894.

Citation:

Rendered great assistance in the heat of the action in rescuing a part of the field batteries from an extremely dangerous and exposed position.[4]

See also

• List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F
• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)

Notes

1. Alexander K. McClure, ed. (1902). Famous American Statesmen & Orators. VI. New York: F. F. Lovell Publishing Company. p. 106.
2. Cummings, Amos (2008). Milanich, Jerald (ed.). A Remarkable Curiosity: Dispatches from a New York City Journalist's 1873 Railroad Trip Across the American West. Boulder: University Press of Colorado. pp. 12–14. ISBN 9780870819261.
3. Milanich, Jerald (Winter 2002). "Frolicking Bears, Wet Vultures, and Other Mysteries: Amos Jay Cummings's 1873 Description of Mounds in East-Central Florida". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 80 (3): 360–374. JSTOR 30149243.
4. "Civil War Medal of Honor recipients (A-L)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. June 6, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.

• United States Congress. "Amos J. Cummings (id: C000983)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on January 30, 2008

External links

• Works by or about Amos J. Cummings at Internet Archive
• Memorial addresses on the life and character of Amos J. Cummings, late a representative from New York delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1902
• Archival material by or about Amos J. Cummings