Representative Joseph Hutton Defrees

Joseph Hutton DeFrees (May 13, 1812 – December 21, 1885) was an American businessman and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1865 to 1867. His brother, John D. Defrees, was a major figure in Indiana Republican Party politics and a prominent journalist and political organizer, helping to shape the party’s early development in the state.

DeFrees was born in Sparta, Tennessee, on May 13, 1812. In 1819 he moved with his parents to Ohio, where the family settled in Piqua. He attended the common schools there, receiving a basic formal education typical of the period. As a youth he entered the trades, becoming an apprentice to the blacksmith trade from 1826 to 1829. During these years he also learned the art of printing, an experience that would later support his work in newspaper publishing and public affairs.

In 1831 DeFrees moved west to Indiana and settled in South Bend. Drawing on his printing experience, he established a newspaper, the Northwestern Pioneer, which contributed to the political and commercial life of the growing community. Two years later, in 1833, he relocated to Goshen, Indiana. There he engaged in mercantile pursuits, building a career in trade and local business, and later expanded his activities into banking. His growing prominence in Goshen’s commercial life laid the foundation for his entry into public office.

DeFrees first held public office as sheriff of Elkhart County, serving from 1835 to 1840. In this role he was responsible for law enforcement and various administrative duties in a county that was still in the process of settlement and development. After several years focused on his business interests, he entered state politics. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1849, and subsequently served in the Indiana Senate from 1850 to 1854. During these years he participated in state legislative affairs at a time when Indiana was experiencing rapid growth and the early stirrings of the political realignments that would lead to the rise of the Republican Party. He later returned to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1872, reflecting his continued influence in state politics.

At the national level, DeFrees was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-ninth Congress, serving as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from March 4, 1865, to March 3, 1867. His term coincided with the closing months of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction, a period marked by debates over the reintegration of the former Confederate states and the status of newly freed African Americans. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1866 and thus served only a single term in the House of Representatives, after which he returned to private life.

Following his congressional service, DeFrees resumed his former business pursuits in Goshen. He broadened his commercial interests to include milling and the manufacture of linseed oil, enterprises that supported the agricultural and industrial development of northern Indiana. He also played a significant role in local infrastructure and transportation projects, most notably the construction of the Goshen Hydraulic Works, which provided water power and supported industrial growth in the community.

DeFrees was active in the emerging railroad industry, which was transforming commerce and settlement patterns in the Midwest. He served as a director of the Cincinnati, Wabash & Michigan Railroad and became its first president, helping to guide the line’s early operations and expansion. His work in railroads complemented his other business endeavors and reinforced his reputation as a leading figure in the economic development of his region.

Joseph Hutton DeFrees died in Goshen, Indiana, on December 21, 1885. He was interred in Oak Ridge Cemetery. His career combined local and state service, a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and extensive business activity in banking, manufacturing, and railroads, reflecting the intertwined nature of commerce and politics in nineteenth-century Indiana.