Representative Carlton Brandaga Curtis

Carlton Brandaga Curtis (December 17, 1811 – March 17, 1883) was an American lawyer, Civil War officer, and politician from Pennsylvania who served multiple terms in the United States House of Representatives, first as a Democrat and later as a Republican. He represented Pennsylvania’s 23rd congressional district from 1851 to 1859 as a member of the Democratic Party and, after changing his political affiliation, represented Pennsylvania’s 19th congressional district from 1870 to 1875 as a Republican. His congressional service spanned a period of profound national upheaval, and he participated actively in the legislative process and in representing the interests of his constituents during the decades surrounding the Civil War.

Curtis was born in Madison County, New York, on December 17, 1811. In his youth he moved to Mayville, New York, where he began the study of law. Seeking broader opportunities, he relocated to Erie, Pennsylvania, and continued his legal studies there. He was admitted to the bar in 1834 and, in the same year, moved to Warren, Pennsylvania, where he commenced the practice of law. His early professional years in Warren established him as a practicing attorney and laid the foundation for his subsequent entry into public life.

Curtis’s political career began at the state level. He was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and served from 1836 to 1838. During these years in the state legislature he gained experience in lawmaking and public affairs at a time when Pennsylvania was undergoing economic and political development, particularly in its interior and northwestern regions. His service in Harrisburg helped to elevate his public profile and prepared him for national office.

In 1851, Curtis was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-second Congress from Pennsylvania’s 23rd congressional district and was reelected to the Thirty-third Congress, serving continuously from 1851 to 1855. During the Thirty-third Congress he served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Accounts, a position that placed him in charge of overseeing the financial and administrative operations of the House. He continued to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives for the same district through 1859, participating in debates and legislation during the increasingly contentious years leading up to the Civil War. By 1855 he had become affiliated with the Republican Party, reflecting the broader political realignment of the era, though his initial congressional service had been as a Democrat.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Curtis entered military service in the Union Army. On February 13, 1862, he was commissioned lieutenant colonel of the Fifty-eighth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, for a three-year term. He was promoted to colonel of that regiment on May 23, 1863, assuming full command responsibilities. His military career was cut short when illness forced his honorable discharge as colonel on July 2 (during the period of the war), ending his active field service but underscoring his commitment to the Union cause.

After leaving the army, Curtis returned to Warren, Pennsylvania, and resumed the practice of law. In 1868 he moved back to Erie, Pennsylvania, where he continued his legal career. In addition to his law practice, he became involved in banking and in the burgeoning oil industry that was transforming northwestern Pennsylvania in the postwar years. He was also one of the originators and builders of the Dunkirk & Venango Railroad, reflecting his interest in regional economic development and transportation infrastructure.

Curtis reentered national politics as a member of the Republican Party and was elected to the Forty-third Congress from Pennsylvania’s 19th congressional district, serving from 1873 to 1875. This service, together with his earlier tenure, gave him three terms in Congress as a Republican representative from Pennsylvania. During this later period in the House he contributed to the legislative process during Reconstruction, again participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents at a time when the nation was adjusting to the aftermath of civil conflict. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 and thereafter returned to private life.

In his later years, Curtis continued to practice law in Erie while maintaining his business interests. He remained a respected figure in both legal and political circles in northwestern Pennsylvania. Carlton Brandaga Curtis died in Erie, Pennsylvania, on March 17, 1883. He was interred in Oakland Cemetery in Warren, Pennsylvania, closing a career that had encompassed state and national legislative service, military command in the Civil War, and active participation in the economic development of his region.