Anthony Colby (November 13, 1792July 20, 1873) was an American businessman and politician from

New London, New Hampshire New London is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 census. The town is the home of Colby–Sawyer College. The town center, where 1,266 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as th ...

. He owned and operated a grist mill and a stage line, and served as the 20th

governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Verm ...

from 1846 to 1847.

Biography

Colby was born in

, on November 13, 1792. His was educated locally and became a successful business owner and operator, with his ventures including a stagecoach line, gristmill, and factory for producing scythes. He was also active in the militia, serving as an ensign during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, and attaining the rank of major general in 1837. Colby entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, serving from 1828 to 1832 and 1837 to 1839. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in 1833 and 1835, and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1843, 1844 and 1845. In 1846, Colby ran for governor as the Whig nominee. He originally placed second to Democrat

Jared W. Williams Jared Warner Williams (December 22, 1796September 29, 1864) was an American lawyer and politician from Lancaster, New Hampshire, who was a U.S. representative, the 21st governor of New Hampshire 1847 to 1849 and a United States senator. Biogra ...

, receiving 32% of the vote to Williams's 48%. However, the state constitution imposed a majority-vote requirement in gubernatorial elections, so the failure of any candidate in the race to win a majority threw the election to the General Court. A Whig– Liberty Party–Independent Democrat coalition, led by Independent Democrat John P. Hale, won control of the state government and elected Colby as Governor over Williams. Colby served from June 4, 1846, to June 3, 1847. He ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 1847, in which he lost to Williams. After leaving the governorship, Colby remained active in business, the military and politics. He served again in the

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

House from 1860 to 1861, and during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

served as Adjutant General of the New Hamspshire Militia from 1861 to 1863. He then became provost marshal of the militia, with his son Daniel succeeding him as adjutant general. Colby was interested in

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...

. He was a trustee of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

from 1850 to 1870, and received an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

from Dartmouth in 1850. He was also the founder of Colby Academy, which through expansions and mergers is now known as Colby-Sawyer College. Colby died in

New London New London may refer to: Places United States *New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut *New London, Indiana *New London, Iowa *New London, Maryland *New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England town ** ...

on July 20, 1873, and was buried in New London's Old Main Street Cemetery. Colby's papers are held at Colby-Sawyer College.Anthony Colby's papers

References

External links

at

', retrieved October 5, 2014 *, retrieved October 5, 2014 1792 births 1873 deaths Governors of New Hampshire Dartmouth College people New Hampshire Whigs Whig Party state governors of the United States 19th-century American politicians Members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives American militiamen in the War of 1812 American militia generals People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War Burials in New Hampshire Colby–Sawyer College People from New London, New Hampshire {{NewHampshire-politician-stub