James Noble Tyner
| James Noble Tyner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 26th United States Postmaster General | |
| In office July 12, 1876 – March 3, 1877 | |
| Preceded by | Marshall Jewell |
| Succeeded by | David M. Key |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 17, 1826 Brookville, Indiana, USA |
| Died | December 5, 1904 (aged 78) Washington, D.C., USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
James Noble Tyner (January 17, 1826 – December 5, 1904) was a lawyer, U.S. Representative and United States Postmaster General from Indiana.
Born in Brookville, Indiana, Tyner pursued an academic course and graduated from Brookville Academy in 1844. He was a businessman for ten years, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1857, commencing practice in Peru, Indiana. He served as secretary of the Indiana Senate from 1857 to 1861 and was a special agent for the United States Post Office Department from 1861 to 1866. In 1869, Tyner was elected a Republican to the United States House of Representatives to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative-elect Daniel D. Pratt (who instead took a seat in the Senate). He was reelected in 1870 and 1872, serving from 1869 to 1875. U.S. Representative Tyner served on the Post Office Committee, the Post Roads Committee, and the Education and Labor Committee.[1] U.S. Representative Tyner advocated the removal of the Franking Privilege in his first speech in the House on February 5, 1870.[1] U.S. Representative Tyner gave few speeches in the House and was noted for his statistical accuracy and "sound reasoning".[1]
Tyner was appointed Second Assistant Postmaster General, serving from 1875 to 1876 when promoted to Postmaster General in the cabinet of President Ulysses S. Grant, serving from 1876 to 1877. After the end of the Grant administration, he was demoted to Assistant Postmaster General, serving from 1877 until his resignation in 1881. He was a delegate to the International Postal Congress in Paris, France, in 1878 and in Washington, D.C. in 1897. Tyner served as Assistant Attorney General of the Post Office Department from 1889 to 1893 and again from 1897 to 1903. During his tenor as Assistant Attorney General, Tyner was investigated in mid-1903 for corruption in the Post Office by special prosecutor Charles J. Bonaparte and Fourth Assistant Postmaster General Joseph L. Bristow.[2] Tyner was indicted for fraud and taking a bribe.[2] Tyner's wife and daughter-in-law, during the postal investigation, had secretly taken documents from Tyner's safe at Tyner's office in the Postal Department.[2] Tyner was acquitted for lack of evidence, however, he lost his job as Assistant Attorney General as a result of the postal investigation.[2] Tyner since July, 1902 had been suffering from paralysis and the postal investigation trial in May, 1903 had put a strain on his feebled health.[3] He died in Washington, D.C. on December 5, 1904 and was interred there in Oak Hill Cemetery.[3]
Notes
Sources
External links
- James Noble Tyner at Find A Grave
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Marshall Jewell |
United States Postmaster General Served under: Ulysses S. Grant July 12, 1876 – March 3, 1877 |
Succeeded by David M. Key |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Godlove S. Orth |
Member from Indiana's 8th congressional district March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1875 |
Succeeded by Morton C. Hunter |
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