Representative Charles Naylor

Charles Naylor (October 6, 1806 – December 24, 1872) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Whig member of the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania’s 3rd congressional district from 1837 to 1841. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 6, 1806, he spent his early life in that city. As a young man he read John Neal’s poem “Battle of Niagara,” which made a strong impression on him and inspired his interest in public life. He studied law in Philadelphia, was admitted to the bar in 1828, and began the practice of law in his native city, building a professional reputation that would later support his entry into politics.

Before reaching national office, Naylor held several local offices in Pennsylvania, participating in municipal and civic affairs in Philadelphia. He first sought a seat in Congress as a Whig candidate in 1836, running for election to the Twenty-fifth Congress, but was unsuccessful in that initial attempt. Undeterred, he remained active in public life and in the legal profession, positioning himself for a subsequent bid for national office.

Naylor entered the United States House of Representatives under contested circumstances. He was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative Francis Jacob Harper. The special election was marked by serious allegations of fraud involving his opponent, Charles J. Ingersoll. Local election officials certified Ingersoll as the winner, while state officials declared Naylor the victor. Both men traveled to Washington, D.C., and presented themselves to claim the seat. After examining the returns, Congress declared Naylor the winner by a margin of 775 votes, and he was sworn into office as the representative of Pennsylvania’s 3rd congressional district. He was subsequently reelected to the Twenty-sixth Congress, serving two full terms from 1837 to 1841. As a member of the Whig Party representing Pennsylvania during a period of significant political and economic change, he contributed to the legislative process, participated in debates, and represented the interests of his Philadelphia constituents in the national legislature. Among his recorded congressional activities was his “Speech of Charles Naylor, of Pennsylvania, on the Bill Imposing Additional Duties as Depositaries, in Certain Cases on Public Officers,” delivered in the House of Representatives on October 13, 1837, and later printed in Washington. A version of this speech was also published in Philadelphia by King & Baird, Printers, in 1862. Naylor declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1840 and, upon leaving Congress in 1841, resumed the practice of law.

Naylor’s public prominence continued after his congressional service, particularly during the period of civil unrest associated with the Philadelphia nativist riots. In July 1844, during the riots in the Southwark district of Philadelphia, he intervened to prevent militia troops under the command of General George Cadwalader from firing on a group of nativist protesters. In the course of this confrontation, Naylor and several others were arrested and confined within a church. By the morning of July 7, most of the soldiers had withdrawn, but large crowds, led by an alderman and the sheriff, returned to the church and demanded that the remaining guard release Naylor and the others. All of the prisoners except Naylor were released. As the day progressed, the crowd outside the church swelled, and a cannon was brought from a nearby wharf and positioned to threaten the building. After further negotiations between the crowd and the authorities, Naylor was finally released and was carried home through the streets on the shoulders of supporters, amid public cheers. His actions during the riots, including his attempt to restrain the use of military force against civilians, became a notable episode in his public career.

During the Mexican–American War, Naylor again entered public service, this time in a military capacity. He raised a company of volunteers from Pennsylvania known as the Philadelphia Rangers, also referred to as the “Killers and Bouncers,” and served as their captain. The unit saw action in Mexico and was commended for its conduct. General Robert Patterson praised the Philadelphia Rangers for their performance at the Battle of Cerro Gordo in April 1847, where American forces achieved a significant victory. Naylor’s leadership of this volunteer company added a military dimension to a career otherwise centered on law and politics.

After the conclusion of the Mexican–American War, Naylor settled for a time in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he continued the practice of law. He later returned to Philadelphia and resumed his legal career in the city where he had been born and had first been admitted to the bar. He remained engaged in professional pursuits rather than seeking a return to elective office, and he continued to be remembered locally for his congressional service, his role in the Philadelphia nativist disturbances, and his wartime command of the Philadelphia Rangers.

Charles Naylor died in Philadelphia on December 24, 1872. He was interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, a burial place for many of the city’s prominent nineteenth-century figures. His life encompassed service as a lawyer, congressman, and volunteer military officer, and his career reflected the political turbulence and sectional conflicts of the United States in the decades preceding the Civil War.