# Christopher Rankin > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Christopher_Rankin > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Christopher_Rankin.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Rankin > Source revision: 1348833453 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American politician (1788–1826)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Christopher Rankin | image = | alt = | caption = | state = [Mississippi](/source/Mississippi) | district = [at-large](/source/Mississippi's_at-large_congressional_district) | term_start = March 4, 1819 | term_end = March 14, 1826 | predecessor = [George Poindexter](/source/George_Poindexter) | successor = [William Haile](/source/William_Haile_(Mississippi_politician)) | office2 = Chairman of the [United States House Committee on Natural Resources](/source/United_States_House_Committee_on_Natural_Resources) | term_start2 = 1821 | term_end2 = 1826 | predecessor2 = [Richard Clough Anderson, Jr.](/source/Richard_Clough_Anderson%2C_Jr.) | successor2 = [John Scott](/source/John_Scott_(Missouri_politician)) | birth_date = {{Birth year|1788}} | birth_place = [Washington County, Pennsylvania](/source/Washington_County%2C_Pennsylvania), U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1826|3|14|1788}} | death_place = [Washington D.C.](/source/Washington_D.C.), U.S. | resting_place = [Congressional Cemetery](/source/Congressional_Cemetery) | party = [Democratic-Republican](/source/Democratic-Republican_Party) | other_party = [Jacksonian](/source/Jacksonian_democracy) }} '''Christopher Rankin''' (1788{{spnd}}March 14, 1826) was an [attorney](/source/Lawyer) and [politician](/source/politician) from [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania), who moved to the [Mississippi](/source/Mississippi) [Territory](/source/Territory) in 1809. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1817, and was later elected as a [U.S. representative](/source/United_States_House_of_Representatives) for several terms, serving from 1819 to 1826. ==Early life and education== Born in [Washington County, Pennsylvania](/source/Washington_County%2C_Pennsylvania), Rankin attended preparatory studies at Jefferson College (now [Washington & Jefferson College](/source/Washington_%26_Jefferson_College)) in [Canonsburg, Pennsylvania](/source/Canonsburg%2C_Pennsylvania) and graduated in 1808.{{Cite book| last = Eaton | first = Samuel John Mills |author2=Woods, Henry | title = Biographical and Historical Catalogue of Washington and Jefferson College | publisher = G.H. Buchanan and Company| year = 1902 | location=Philadelphia| url = https://archive.org/details/biographicaland00pagoog|accessdate=April 4, 2010|oclc=2379959|page=[https://archive.org/details/biographicaland00pagoog/page/n28 21]}} He moved to Georgia, where he taught a village school and studied law at the same time. After being admitted to the bar in 1809, he began practice in [Liberty, Mississippi](/source/Liberty%2C_Mississippi). ==Political career== Rankin was elected to a term as a member of the territorial legislature in 1812, serving one year. He moved to [Natchez, Mississippi](/source/Natchez%2C_Mississippi), in 1816 and practiced law. He was elected as a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1817. That year he ran as an unsuccessful candidate for [United States Senator](/source/United_States_Senator) in 1817 (the position at that time was elected by the state legislature). After that, he held several local offices. Rankin was elected as a [Democratic-Republican](/source/Democratic-Republican) to the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Congresses, reelected as a Jackson Republican to the Eighteenth Congress, and elected as a Jacksonian to the Nineteenth Congress, serving from March 4, 1819, until his death in [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.), March 14, 1826. He served as chairman of the Committee on Public Lands (Seventeenth through Nineteenth Congresses). He was interred in the [Congressional Cemetery](/source/Congressional_Cemetery). ==See also== {{Portal|Biography}} *[List of members of the United States Congress who died in office (1790–1899)](/source/List_of_members_of_the_United_States_Congress_who_died_in_office_(1790%E2%80%931899)) ==References== {{reflist}} {{CongBio|R000054}} ==External links== * {{Find a Grave|7372243}} {{s-start}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{US House succession box |state=Mississippi |district=AL |before=[George Poindexter](/source/George_Poindexter) |after=[William Haile](/source/William_Haile_(Mississippi_politician)) |years=March 4, 1819{{spaced ndash}}March 14, 1826 }} {{s-end}} {{US House Natural Resources chairs}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Christopher}} Category:1788 births Category:1826 deaths Category:Politicians from Washington County, Pennsylvania Category:Washington & Jefferson College alumni Category:Burials at the Congressional Cemetery Category:Mississippi Democratic-Republicans Category:Democratic-Republican Party United States representatives Category:Jacksonian United States representatives from Mississippi Category:19th-century United States representatives --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Christopher Rankin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Rankin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Rankin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.