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.
Biography
Born in Sparta, Tennessee, DeFrees moved to Ohio with his parents, who settled in Piqua in 1819.
He attended the common schools.
Defrees was an apprentice to the blacksmith trade from 1826 to 1829, and learned the art of printing.
He moved to Indiana and settled in South Bend in 1831, where he established the Northwestern Pioneer.
He moved to Goshen, Indiana, in 1833 and engaged in mercantile pursuits and later in banking.
DeFrees was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-ninth Congress (March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1867).
He was not a candidate for renomination in 1866.
Later career and death
He resumed his former business pursuits.
He was also interested in milling, the manufacture of linseed oil, and the construction of the Goshen Hydraulic Works.
He served as director of the Cincinnati, Wabash & Michigan Railroad and served as its first president.
He died at Goshen, Indiana, December 21, 1885.
He was interred in Oak Ridge Cemetery.