Representative Edward Darlington

Edward Darlington (September 17, 1795 – November 21, 1884) was a three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, elected as a member of the Anti-Masonic Party. A member of a politically prominent family in southeastern Pennsylvania, he was a cousin of Isaac Darlington and William Darlington, both of whom also served as members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Darlington was born on September 17, 1795, in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania, where he grew up on a dairy farm. Raised in a rural environment in Delaware County, he received a basic education in local schools before beginning work as a teacher. From 1817 to 1820 he taught school, an occupation that was common among young men preparing for professional careers in the early nineteenth century.

Pursuing a legal career, Darlington studied law under Samuel Edwards, a prominent attorney in the region. After completing his legal training, he was admitted to the bar in 1821 and commenced the practice of law in Chester, Pennsylvania. His early legal work established him in the civic life of Delaware County and led to his appointment in 1824 as deputy attorney general for Delaware County, a position he held until 1830. In this capacity he represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in local legal matters and gained experience that would later support his entry into national politics.

Darlington entered Congress as part of the Anti-Masonic movement, which opposed the influence of secret societies in public affairs and was particularly strong in Pennsylvania and other northern states during the 1820s and 1830s. In 1832 he was elected as an Anti-Masonic candidate to the Twenty-third Congress, and in 1834 he was re-elected to the Twenty-fourth Congress. He ultimately served three consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, holding office from March 4, 1833, to March 3, 1839. During the Twenty-fourth Congress he served as chairman of the House Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings, overseeing matters related to federal construction and the use of public funds for government facilities. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1838 and concluded his congressional service at the close of the Twenty-fifth Congress.

After leaving Congress, Darlington resumed the practice of law in Delaware County. He remained active in local public affairs and legal administration. From 1846 to 1856 he served as attorney for the county commissioners, advising the county’s governing body on legal and administrative matters. In 1851 he moved to the newly established borough of Media, Pennsylvania, which had become the county seat of Delaware County, and there he continued his legal and public service career. From 1851 to 1854 he served as district attorney of Delaware County, acting as the chief prosecutor for the county.

In addition to his legal and political work, Darlington was involved in the financial and insurance sectors of his community. In 1842 he was appointed a director of the Delaware County Mutual Insurance Company, reflecting his standing in local business circles. He also served as a director of the Delaware County National Bank, participating in the oversight of one of the principal financial institutions in the area. These roles complemented his legal practice and public offices, and they underscored his influence in the civic and economic life of Delaware County.

Edward Darlington spent his later years in Media, Pennsylvania, where he remained a respected figure due to his long record of public service at both the local and national levels. He died in Media on November 21, 1884. He was interred in Chester Rural Cemetery in Chester, Pennsylvania, returning in death to the community where he had begun his legal career more than six decades earlier.