Representative Cornelius Darragh

Cornelius Darragh (1809 – December 22, 1854) was an American lawyer and Whig politician from Pennsylvania who served in the Pennsylvania State Senate, as United States district attorney for the western district of Pennsylvania, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and as attorney general of Pennsylvania. He was born in 1809 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of six children of John Darragh, who served as the second mayor of Pittsburgh, and Margaret “Peggy” Calhoun. Raised in a family active in the civic life of the growing city, he came of age during a period of rapid economic and political development in western Pennsylvania.

Darragh pursued higher education at the Western University of Pennsylvania (later the University of Pittsburgh), where he was a member of the class of 1826 and completed his studies that year. Following his graduation, he read law in Pittsburgh and was admitted to the bar in 1829. He then commenced the practice of law in his native city, building a professional reputation that would support his later entry into public life. In 1830, he married Mary Holmes Simpson; the couple had two daughters, Margaret Calhoun Darragh and Elizabeth Simpson Darragh, reflecting in their names both sides of his family heritage.

Darragh’s political career began at the state level. A member of the Whig Party, he was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate, where he first represented the 21st district from 1836 to 1837. After the reconfiguration of districts, he served as state senator for the 19th district from 1838 to 1839. In these roles he participated in the legislative process during a period marked by debates over internal improvements, banking, and the evolving party system in Pennsylvania. His service in the state senate helped establish him as a prominent Whig figure in western Pennsylvania.

In 1841, Darragh was appointed United States district attorney for the western district of Pennsylvania, a federal post he held until 1844. As U.S. district attorney he represented the federal government in legal matters before the federal courts in the region, a responsibility that underscored his standing in both the legal profession and his party. His performance in this office further elevated his profile and positioned him for national legislative service.

Darragh entered the national legislature as a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected to the Twenty-eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative William Wilkins, and he subsequently won reelection to the Twenty-ninth Congress. Serving two terms in the House, he represented Pennsylvania during a significant period in American history, marked by contentious issues such as territorial expansion, economic policy, and sectional tensions. As a Whig representing his Pennsylvania constituency, he contributed to the legislative process and participated in the democratic governance of the nation, advocating for the interests of his district within the broader party framework.

After leaving Congress, Darragh continued his public service at the state level. He was appointed attorney general of Pennsylvania and held that office from January 4, 1849, to April 28, 1851. In this capacity he served as the chief legal officer of the Commonwealth, advising the governor and state agencies and overseeing important legal matters affecting Pennsylvania during the late 1840s and early 1850s. His tenure as attorney general capped a career that had spanned local, state, and federal responsibilities.

Cornelius Darragh spent his later years in Pittsburgh, where he remained a respected figure in legal and political circles. He died in Pittsburgh on December 22, 1854. His career reflected the trajectory of a nineteenth-century American lawyer-politician who rose from local prominence to state and national office, and his service as state senator, U.S. district attorney, congressman, and attorney general left a record of sustained engagement in the public life of Pennsylvania and the United States.