Orsamus Benajah Matteson (August 28, 1805 – December 22, 1889) was a

U.S. 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 c ...

from New York.

Early life

Orsamus Benajah Matteson was born on August 28, 1805, in a log cabin in

Verona, New York Verona (called ''Te-o-na-ta-le'', "''pine forest''" by the Haudenosaunee) is a town in southwestern Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,293 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Verona, Italy. Verona is located so ...

. He was one of eleven children. He attended the common schools and studied law in

Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the ...

, alongside

Horatio Seymour Horatio Seymour (May 31, 1810February 12, 1886) was an American politician. He served as Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president in the 1868 United States presidential elec ...

and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1830.

Career

Matteson commenced practice in Utica. He had law practices with

William J. Bacon William Johnson Bacon (February 18, 1803 – July 3, 1889) was an American politician and a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from New York. Early life Bacon was born on February 18, 1803, in Williamstown, Massachusett ...

, P. Sheldon Root and Charles A. Doolittle. He served as the first city attorney of Utica in 1834 and 1836. He also served as state supreme court commissioner. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1846 to the Thirtieth Congress. Matteson was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-first Congress (March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1850 to the Thirty-second Congress. Matteson was elected to the Thirty-third Congress and reelected as an

Opposition Party Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...

candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress and began service on March 4, 1853 where he served as chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia. He resigned on February 27, 1857, just before a recommendation of censure could be passed by the House for allegations of bribery and corruption concerning a Minnesota land bill. He was also accused of publicly stating that a majority of the US House was purchasable, which led to his decision to resign. Matteson was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Thirty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859). He was interested in a scheme for the construction of the St. Mary's Ship Canal and he engaged in lumbering and iron manufacturing and in the acquisition of large tracts of land. Matteson engaged in different business enterprises later in life and would die comparatively poor.

Personal life

Matteson married Mary Hurlburt of Utica in 1830. They had two children, Henry Clay and a daughter who married Colonel George Pomeroy of Utica. Matteson was one of the congressman that got sick from the National Hotel disease in 1857. Matteson died in

, on December 22, 1889. He was interred in Forest Hill Cemetery in Utica.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matteson, Orsamus B. 1805 births 1889 deaths People from Verona, New York New York (state) Whigs Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Censured or reprimanded members of the United States House of Representatives New York (state) lawyers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers Burials at Forest Hill Cemetery (Utica, New York)