Representative John Holmes Prentiss

John Holmes Prentiss (April 17, 1784 – June 26, 1861) was an American newspaper publisher and politician in the U.S. state of New York. He represented New York’s 19th congressional district in the 25th and 26th U.S. Congresses from 1837 to 1841 as a member of the Democratic Party, contributing to the legislative process during two terms in office at a significant period in American history.

Prentiss was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, the third of nine children of Dr. Samuel Prentiss and his wife Lucretia (née Holmes). His father was a prominent physician who had served as a combat surgeon for his own father, Colonel Samuel Prentice, during the American Revolutionary War. The Prentiss family were descendants of Captain Thomas Prentice, who emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1640s and served as a captain during King Philip’s War. John Holmes Prentiss attended local and private schools in Worcester before entering the printing trade as an apprentice, a training that would shape his lifelong career in journalism and publishing.

Prentiss’s family was notable for its extensive record of public service. His older brother, Samuel Prentiss, became chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, served as a United States senator from Vermont, and later as a United States district judge. His younger brother, William A. Prentiss, served in the Vermont House of Representatives, became the 10th mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and also served in the Wisconsin State Assembly. His nephew, Theodore Prentiss, Samuel’s son, was the first mayor of Watertown, Wisconsin, and likewise served in the Wisconsin State Assembly. This family background in law, politics, and civic leadership formed an important context for John Holmes Prentiss’s own public career.

After completing his apprenticeship as a printer, Prentiss entered the newspaper business. He advanced to become foreman of the New York Evening Post, a leading newspaper in New York City. In October 1808 he moved to Cooperstown, New York, where he became the printer of The Impartial Observer, a paper founded by Judge William Cooper. In 1809 the paper’s name was changed to The Cooperstown Federalist to reflect its Federalist Party affiliation. Following Cooper’s death, Prentiss became the owner and editor of the paper. In 1818 he changed its name to The Freeman’s Journal, dropping the Federalist label as he shifted his political allegiance to the Democratic-Republican Party. He continued to operate The Freeman’s Journal as a prominent local and regional newspaper until his retirement from publishing in 1849.

Alongside his work as a publisher, Prentiss held several public and civic positions in New York. He served in the New York Militia and was appointed by Governor DeWitt Clinton as inspector of the 16th Division, with the rank of colonel. He was postmaster of Cooperstown from April 24, 1833, to February 17, 1837, overseeing local postal operations during a period of growth and political change. In 1837 he was a vice president of the New York State Democratic convention in Albany, reflecting his increasing prominence within the Democratic Party and his transition from a Federalist-aligned editor to a Democratic leader in central New York.

Prentiss was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Congresses, representing New York’s 19th congressional district from March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1841. His service in Congress coincided with the administration of President Martin Van Buren and the economic and political challenges of the late 1830s, including the aftermath of the Panic of 1837. As a Democratic representative, he participated in the national legislative process and represented the interests of his constituents from central New York. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1840 and, upon the conclusion of his second term, returned to Cooperstown and resumed his responsibilities with The Freeman’s Journal. In addition to his newspaper work, he served as president of the Bank of Cooperstown, further embedding himself in the economic life of the community.

Prentiss married twice. In 1815 he wed Catherine Cox Morris (1795–1818), daughter of General Jacob Morris and granddaughter of Lewis Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Their children included Mary Martha (1817–1854) and Catharine Lucretia (1817–1901). After Catherine’s death, he married Urilla Shankland (1799–1890) in 1828. With his second wife he had several children: Alexander Shankland (1829–1854), John Holmes Jr. (1832–1923), Rachel Ann (1834–1874), and Charlotte Darbyshire (1837–1935). Through these marriages, particularly his first, Prentiss was connected to prominent Revolutionary-era and early national families, reinforcing his position within the social and political networks of New York.

Prentiss retired from active newspaper publishing in 1849 but continued to reside in Cooperstown, where he remained a respected figure in local affairs. He lived there until his death on June 26, 1861. John Holmes Prentiss was buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Cooperstown, New York, closing a life that spanned from the early years of the American republic through the eve of the Civil War and that combined journalism, military and civic service, and two terms in the United States House of Representatives.