Nathan Sanford (November 5, 1777 – October 17, 1838) was an American politician.

Early life

Sanford was born on November 5, 1777, in

Bridgehampton Bridgehampton is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the South Fork of Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 1,756 at the 2010 census. Bridgehampton is in the town of Southampton, on Long Island. Shortly after ...

, New York. He was the son of Thomas Sanford and Phebe (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Baker) Sanford, a family of farmers and tradesmen. He attended

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

, studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Career

In 1803, he was appointed as United States Attorney for the District of New York, and remained in office until 1815 when the district was split into the

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

and the Southern District of New York. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

in 1808-09 and 1811. In 1811, he was elected

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

on January 29, but could not attend the session after February 10 because of ill health. The Assembly moved to elect a new Speaker and proceeded to the election of William Ross. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan comp ...

(Southern D.) from 1812 to 1815, sitting in the 35th, 36th, 37th and

38th New York State Legislature The 38th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from September 26, 1814, to April 18, 1815, during the eighth year of Daniel D. Tompkins's Governor of New York, governorship, in A ...

s. In

1815 Events January * January 2 – Lord Byron marries Anna Isabella Milbanke in Seaham, county of Durham, England. * January 3 – Austria, Britain, and Bourbon-restored France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Pru ...

, he was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to 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 po ...

and served from March 4, 1815, to March 3, 1821. He was Chairman of the Committee on Commerce and Manufactures ( 15th and

16th United States Congress The 16th 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, 1819 ...

es), and a member of the Committee on Naval Affairs (15th Congress) and the Committee on Finance (16th Congress). In 1821, he ran for re-election as a Clintonian, but was defeated by Bucktail Martin Van Buren. He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821, and was

Chancellor of New York The New York Court of Chancery was the highest court in the State of New York from 1701 to 1847. History The New York Court of Chancery was established during the British colonial administration on August 28, 1701, with the colonial governor actin ...

from 1823 to 1826. In

1824 May 7: The almost completely deaf Beethoven premieres his Ninth Symphony Events January–March * January 8 – After much controversy, Michael Faraday is finally elected as a member of the Royal Society, with only one vote against h ...

, he received 30 electoral votes for

U.S. Vice President The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice pr ...

. In 1826, he resigned the chancellorship after his nomination in caucus, and was elected again to the U.S. Senate. He took his seat on January 31, 1826, and served until March 3, 1831. He was Chairman of the

Committee on Foreign Relations The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid p ...

(

19th United States Congress The 19th 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, 1825 ...

). Afterwards he resumed the practice of law in Flushing, New York.

Personal life

Sanford was married three times. His first marriage was to Elizabeth "Eliza" Van Horn (1780–1811). His residence in Flushing, "Sanford Hall", became a private insane asylum in 1845, run by Dr. James Macdonald, MD and Gen. Allan Macdonald. Together, Nathan and Eliza were the parents of several children, including: * Edward Sanford (1805–1876), a New York State Senator. * Eliza Sanford, who married John Le Breton. * Charles Sanford. * Henry Sanford. After his first wife's death in 1811, Sanford was remarried to Mary Esther Malbone Isaacs (1790–1816), the eldest daughter of Col. Ralph Isaacs and Elizabeth (née Sebor) Isaacs, in 1813. Together, they were the parents of two children: * Mary Sanford (1814–1841), who married

Peter Gansevoort Peter Gansevoort (July 17, 1749 – July 2, 1812) was a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for leading the resistance to Barry St. Leger's Siege of Fort Stanwix in 1777. Gansevoort was also th ...

(1788–1876), also a New York State Senator. * Henry Sanford (1816–1832), who died young. After his second wife's death, he remarried for a third time to Mary Buchanan (1800–1879), whom he married in May 1828. Together, they were the parents of: * Robert Sanford (1831–1908), a

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

and

New York Law School New York Law School (NYLS) is a private law school in Tribeca, New York City. NYLS has a full-time day program and a part-time evening program. NYLS's faculty includes 54 full-time and 59 adjunct professors. Notable faculty members include ...

graduate. He died in Flushing on October 17, 1838, and was buried at St. George's Episcopal Church Cemetery in Flushing.

References

External links

* * , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanford, Nathan 1777 births 1838 deaths People from Bridgehampton, New York American people of English descent Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from New York (state) National Republican Party United States senators from New York (state) New York (state) Democratic-Republicans New York (state) National Republicans Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations 1824 United States vice-presidential candidates Speakers of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators Chancellors of New York (state) People from Flushing, Queens United States Attorneys for the District of New York Yale University alumni