Uriah Tracy (February 2, 1755July 19, 1807) was an American lawyer and politician from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

. He served in the

US 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 ...

(1793 to 1796) and the

US 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 ...

(1796 to 1807). From May to November 1800, Tracy served as

President pro tempore of the United States Senate The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the vice president. According to Article One, Section Three of the United S ...

Early life and career

Tracy was born in Franklin in the

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

. In his youth, he received a liberal education. His name is listed among those in a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared ...

from

Roxbury Roxbury may refer to: Places ;Canada * Roxbury, Nova Scotia * Roxbury, Prince Edward Island ;United States * Roxbury, Connecticut * Roxbury, Kansas * Roxbury, Maine * Roxbury, Boston, a municipality that was later integrated into the city of Bo ...

that responded to the

Lexington Alarm The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord ...

at the beginning of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. He later served in the Roxbury Company as a

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

In 1778, Tracy graduated from

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 ...

, his contemporaries including

Noah Webster Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible ( Book of Genesis, chapters ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1781 and then practiced law in Litchfield for many years.

Political career

He served in the state legislature in 1788 to 1793 and in the

from April 8, 1793 to October 13, 1796 after he had been chosen as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

. He resigned his seat when he was elected to the

in place of

Jonathan Trumbull Jr. Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (March 26, 1740 – August 7, 1809) was an American politician who served as the 20th governor of Connecticut, the second speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticu ...

, who had resigned. Tracy served until the time of his death in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

on July 19, 1807. He has the distinction of being the first member of Congress to be interred in the

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

. His descendants include the mathematician Curtis Tracy McMullen and the author Jeanie Gould.Tracy Genealogy
/ref> In 1803, he and several other New England politicians proposed secession of New England from the union because of the growing influence of Jeffersonian Democrats that had been helped by the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or ap ...

, which they felt further diminished Northern influence.

Legacy

His portrait, painted by

Ralph Earl Ralph Earl (May 11, 1751 – August 16, 1801) was an American painter known for his portraits, of which at least 183 can be documented. He also painted six landscapes, including a panorama display of Niagara Falls. Early life Ralph Ea ...

, is in the collection of the Litchfield Historical Society in Litchfield, Connecticut.

References

External links

Portrait at the Litchfield Historical Society
*

Govtrack.us

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tracy, Uriah Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate United States senators from Connecticut Burials at the Congressional Cemetery Yale University alumni Litchfield Law School alumni 1755 births 1807 deaths Connecticut Land Company Federalist Party United States senators Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Military personnel from Connecticut People from Franklin, Connecticut

Early life and career

Political career

Legacy

See also

References

External links