CONNESS, John, senator, born in Ireland, 20 September, 1821. He immigrated to the United States at the age of thirteen, learned the trade of a pianoforte maker, and worked in New York City until the discovery of gold in California. He went to that state in 1849, engaged in mining, and afterward became a merchant. He was a member of the California legislature in 1853-'4 and in 1860-'1, a candidate for lieutenant governor in 1859, and the uIfion democratic candidate for governor in 1861, receiving 30,944 votes, to 32,751 cast for the Breckinridge democratic candidate, and 56,036 for Leland Stanford, the successful republican candidate. He was elected as a union republican to succeed Milton S. Latham, a democrat, to the United States senate, and sat from 4 March, 1863, till 4 March, 1869, serving on the committees on finance and the Pacific railroad, and as chairman of the committee on mines and mining. He resided m Massachusetts after the conclusion of his term.