Joshua Reed Giddings

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Joshua Giddings
Photograph by Mathew Brady
Dean of the United States House of Representatives
In office March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1859
Preceded by	Linn Boyd
Succeeded by	John S. Phelps
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio
In office December 5, 1842 – March 3, 1859
Preceded by	Himself
Succeeded by	John Hutchins
Constituency	16th district (1842–1843) 20th district (1843–1859)
In office December 3, 1838 – March 22, 1842
Preceded by	Elisha Whittlesey
Succeeded by	Himself
Constituency	16th district
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
In office 1826–1827
Personal details
Born	Joshua Reed Giddings (1795-10-06)October 6, 1795 Tioga Point, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	May 27, 1864(1864-05-27) (aged 68) Montreal, Canada
Political party	Democratic-Republican (before 1834) Whig (1834–1848) Free Soil (1848–1854) Opposition (1854–1856) Republican (1856–1864)
Signature

Joshua Reed Giddings (October 6, 1795 – May 27, 1864) was an American attorney, politician and abolitionist. He represented Northeast Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1838 to 1859. He was at first a member of the Whig Party and was later a Republican, helping found the party.

Giddings is noted as a leading abolitionist of his era. He was censured in 1842 for violating the gag rule against discussing slavery in the House of Representatives when he proposed a number of Resolutions against federal support for the coastwise slave trade, in relation to the Creole case. He quickly resigned, but was overwhelmingly re-elected by his Ohio constituents in a special election to fill the vacant seat. He returned to the House and served a total of nearly twenty more years as representative.

Giddings is one of the main reasons that the Western Reserve was, before the Civil War, one of the most anti-slavery regions of the country.