Senator James Alexander McDougall

James Alexander McDougall served as a Senator from California in the United States Congress from 1853 to 1867. A member of the Democratic Party, James Alexander McDougall contributed to the legislative process during 2 terms in office.

James Alexander McDougall’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history. As a member of the Senate, James Alexander McDougall participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of constituents.

James Alexander McDougall (November 19, 1817 – September 3, 1867) was an American attorney and politician elected to statewide office in two U.S. states, then to the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate. A gifted orator, McDougall began his career as a civil engineer in New York, then read law, rising quickly to heights in his profession in Illinois, where he became a friend of fellow Illinois attorneys Abraham Lincoln, Edward D. Baker, and Stephen Douglas. Like many Americans, McDougall was drawn to Gold Rush California in 1849; he resumed his law practice and was elected second attorney general for the new state of California. In the election of 1860, Lincoln won the presidency as a Republican, Baker was elected Republican senator from Oregon, and McDougall was elected senator from California, joining Douglas in the Senate as fellow War Democrats. All three of McDougall’s Illinois friends would die in the six years before his term as senator expired. A noted drinker, McDougall once gave an address to the Senate disparaging a proposed rule to outlaw the sale of alcohol in the United States Capitol, but died shortly after leaving the Senate, “…hastened by his indulgence in the bowl.”