Nathan Kelsey Hall (March 28, 1810 – March 2, 1874) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from New York, the 14th

United States Postmaster General The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of New York The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (in case citations, N.D.N.Y.) serves one of the 94 judicial districts in the United States and one of four in the state of New York. Appeals from the Northern District of Ne ...

. Hall was nominated by President

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

on August 13, 1852, to a seat vacated by

Alfred Conkling Alfred Conkling (October 12, 1789 – February 5, 1874) was a United States representative from New York, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York and United States Minister to Mex ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on August 31, 1852, and received commission the same day. Hall's service was terminated on March 2, 1874, due to death.

Education and career

Born on March 28, 1810, in Marcellus,

Onondaga County Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. Onondaga County is the core of the Syracuse, NY MSA. History The name ''Onondaga'' derives from ...

, New York, Hall moved to Erie County, New York in his early youth and attended the district schools, and engaged in shoe-making and agricultural pursuits. He read law with future President

in 1832. He entered private practice in Buffalo, New York from 1832 to 1850. He was clerk for the Board of Supervisors of Erie County from 1832 to 1838. He was city attorney for Buffalo from 1833 to 1834. He was an alderman for Buffalo in 1837. He was a Master in Chancery in Buffalo from 1839 to 1841, on the appointment of Governor of New York

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senator. A determined oppon ...

. He was a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Erie County from January 1841 to January 1845. He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1846.

Congressional service and Postmaster General

Hall was elected as a Whig from

New York's 32nd congressional district The 32nd congressional district of New York was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York. It was eliminated as a result of the 1990 Census. It was last represented by John J. LaFalce who was redistric ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

of the

30th United States Congress The 30th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1847 ...

, serving from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1849. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1848. Hall served as the 14th

Postmaster General of the United States The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...

in the cabinet of President

from July 23, 1850, to August 31, 1852.

Federal judicial service

Hall was nominated by President

on August 13, 1852, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

. He was confirmed by the

on August 31, 1852, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 2, 1874, due to his death in Buffalo. He was interred in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.

University of Buffalo

Hall was "particularly active in procuring the charter" of the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 18 ...

, which President Fillmore founded.

References

Sources

*
A biography on Nathan Hall
* *
Nathan K. Hall
at Find A Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Nathan 1810 births 1874 deaths United States Postmasters General Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York United States federal judges appointed by Millard Fillmore 19th-century American judges Politicians from Buffalo, New York New York (state) lawyers Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) Fillmore administration cabinet members Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Marcellus, New York 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Buffalo, New York