Allen Potter (October 2, 1818 – May 8, 1885) was a politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Potter was born in Galloway (now

Galway, New York Galway () is a town located in Saratoga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 3,525.United States Census Bureau, 2020 U.S. Census Results, Galway town, Saratoga County, New York https://www.c ...

) and attended the common schools. He moved to

Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 5th congressional district. The c ...

, in 1830 and to

Jonesville, Michigan Jonesville is a city in Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,176 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled by brothers Benaiah and Edmund Jones, who came here from Painesville, Ohio in 1828 and purch ...

, in 1838 where he learned the trade of

tinsmith A tinsmith is a historical term for a skilled craftsperson who makes and repairs things made of tin or other light metals. The profession was also known as a tinner, tinker, tinman, or tinplate worker; whitesmith may also refer to this profe ...

. He moved to

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

in 1845 and engaged in the retail hardware business until 1858, when he engaged in banking and in the manufacture of gas. Potter was a member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

in 1857. He also served as president of the village council in 1859, 1863, 1870, and again in 1872. He was elected a member of the board of education in 1867, 1869, and 1871, serving as president in 1869. He was also a member of the board of water commissioners in 1872 and an unsuccessful Liberal Republican candidate for election to the

43rd United States Congress The 43rd 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, 1873, ...

that same year. Potter was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

from

Michigan's 4th congressional district Michigan's 4th congressional district is a United States congressional district located in the state of Michigan. The current 4th district contains much of Michigan's 2nd congressional district, Michigan's old 2nd district, and includes all of A ...

to the 44th Congress, serving from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1877. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1876 and resumed banking activities as well as being financially interested in railroads and

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

mining enterprises. Allen Potter served as member of the sewer commission from 1880 to 1883 and was elected as the first mayor of Kalamazoo in 1884. He also served as treasurer of the State asylum for the insane. He died in Kalamazoo and is interred there in the City Cemetery.

References

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Alan Members of the Michigan House of Representatives Mayors of Kalamazoo, Michigan 1818 births 1885 deaths People from Galway, New York Michigan Liberal Republicans Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan People from Adrian, Michigan People from Jonesville, Michigan 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives