Background
Milnor, James was born on June 20, 1773 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
United States representative lawyer politician
Milnor, James was born on June 20, 1773 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
Milnor attended public grammar school in Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, but initially did not graduate. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1794 and commenced practice in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
He moved to Philadelphia in 1797 and continued the practice of his profession. On July 29, 1819, the University of Pennsylvania conferred on Milnor the degree of Doctor of Divinity. Milnor had begun studying divinity with Bishop William White while in Washington, District of Columbia In October 1810, Milnor, a Federalist, was elected to represent the First Congressional District of Pennsylvania, in the Twelfth Congress.
In 1814 he was appointed assistant minister of Saint Peter’s Church in Philadelphia and in 1816, he was elected rector of Saint George’s Chapel in New York City, a capacity he served in until his death in New York City in 1845.
Milnor was interred in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New New York In 1798, Milnor had been an officer of Pennsylvania Society, which at the time, was waging a movement to abolish slavery.
He was a member of the Philadelphia Common Council in 1800, a member of the Select Council from 1805 to 1810 and served as president in 1808 and 1809. James Milnor was the brother of William Milnor, also a former member of the United States. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.