Samuel Ingham (September 5, 1793 – November 10, 1881) was a two-term Congressman from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Early life

Samuel Ingham was born on September 5, 1793, in

Hebron, Connecticut Hebron ( ) is a New England town, town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. The population was 9,098 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. He attended the common schools in

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, studied law with John Mattocks and

Sylvester Gilbert Sylvester Gilbert (October 20, 1755 – January 2, 1846) was a United States representative from Connecticut. He was born in Hebron, Connecticut. He pursued classical studies and was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1775. Later, he studied la ...

, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in

Canaan, Vermont Canaan is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 896 at the 2020 census. Canaan contains the village of Beecher Falls, located at the confluence of the Connecticut River and Halls Stream. It is part of the Berli ...

. He moved to

Jewett City, Connecticut Jewett City is a borough in New London County, Connecticut, United States, in the town of Griswold. The borough is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 3,328 at the 2020 census, down from 3,487 in 2010. The ...

, and in 1819, to

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

(then part of Saybrook), Connecticut, and continued the practice of his profession.

Career

He served as state's attorney for Middlesex County, and was a member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...

in 1828, 1834, 1851 and 1852 (serving as speaker in 1833, 1835 and 1851). He served as judge of probate judge of the Middlesex County Court. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-fourth Congress and reelected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1839). He was chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs (Twenty-fifth Congress). He was defeated for re-election in 1839 to the Twenty-sixth Congress. He served in the

Connecticut Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Se ...

in 1842, 1846, and 1850. He served as President pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate and was four times the Democratic nominee for governor of Connecticut (1854–57). Although he finished in first place twice, winning a plurality of more than 10% both times (

1854 Events January–March * January 4 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the ''Samarang''. * January 6 – The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is perhaps born. * January 9 – The Te ...

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – The American sidewheel steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatl ...

), lacking a popular majority, the legislature chose a different candidate. He was also an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

in 1854. He served as United States commissioner of customs from December 5, 1857, to May 14, 1861. He then resumed the practice of law.

Personal life

He lived in Saybrook and Essex. Ingham died in Essex on November 10, 1881. He was interred in River View Cemetery. His daughter Lydia Ann Ingham was the wife of James Phelps, who also served in Congress. His daughter Mary Wilson Ingham married Edward Champlin Williams, a merchant sea captain.

References

The Political Graveyard
Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Connecticut lawyers Connecticut state court judges 1793 births 1881 deaths Presidents pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate Democratic Party Connecticut state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut People from Jewett City, Connecticut People from Hebron, Connecticut 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly {{Connecticut-state-judge-stub