Representative Charles Nelson Lamison

Charles Nelson Lamison (c. 1826 – April 24, 1896) was an American politician, soldier, and lawyer who served as a Democratic Representative from Ohio in the United States Congress from 1871 to 1875. A two-term member of the United States House of Representatives, he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his constituents and participating in the broader democratic process during Reconstruction.

Lamison was born in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, around 1826. In 1836 he moved with his father to Dalton, Wayne County, Ohio. He received his early education through private instruction in the elementary branches, a common arrangement in rural communities of the time. This early schooling laid the foundation for his later professional training and public career in law, the military, and politics.

Pursuing a legal career, Lamison studied law in Ohio and was admitted to the bar in 1848. He commenced the practice of law in Dalton, where he quickly established himself in the local legal community. In 1852 he moved to Lima, Allen County, Ohio, where he resumed his legal practice and became increasingly involved in public affairs. His growing reputation led to his election as prosecuting attorney of Allen County in 1853. Although he was defeated for reelection in 1855, he regained the office in 1857, reflecting sustained local confidence in his abilities as a lawyer and public official.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Lamison entered military service on the Union side. He enlisted in the Union Army and was elected the initial captain of Company F of the 20th Ohio Infantry, serving in Northern Virginia. Demonstrating leadership and organizational skills, he later assisted in raising the 81st Ohio Infantry, in which he was appointed major. His wartime service added a military dimension to his public profile and connected him to the broader national struggle to preserve the Union.

After the close of the war, Lamison returned to Lima and resumed the practice of law. He remained active in Democratic Party politics and, in 1866, was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives. Undeterred by this defeat, he continued his political efforts and was elected to the House in 1870. He served as a Representative from Ohio in the United States Congress from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 1875, encompassing the Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses. During his two terms in office, Lamison, as a member of the Democratic Party, contributed to the legislative process and represented the interests of his Ohio constituents during the Reconstruction era. He did not seek renomination in 1874.

Following his congressional service, Lamison returned again to legal and corporate work. He was appointed an attorney for several railroad companies, a role that reflected the expanding importance of rail transportation and related legal issues in the postwar industrializing economy. In 1892 he received a federal appointment to the United States General Land Office, with his duties headquartered in Dodge City, Kansas, placing him in a key administrative position related to public lands in the West.

In his later years, Lamison resided in Kansas while continuing his federal service. He died in Topeka, Kansas, on April 24, 1896. His body was returned to Ohio, and he was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in Lima, Allen County, Ohio, the community where he had long practiced law and from which he had launched much of his public career.