Anthony Colby (November 13, 1792July 20, 1873) was an American businessman and politician from

New London, New Hampshire New London is a New England town, town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is the home of Colby–Sawyer College, site ...

. He owned and operated a grist mill and a stage line, and served as the 20th

Governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along w ...

from 1846 to 1847.

Biography

Colby was born in

, on November 13, 1792. He was educated locally and became a successful business owner and operator, with his ventures including a stagecoach line, gristmill, and factory for producing scythes. He was also active in the militia, serving as an ensign during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, and attaining the rank of major general in 1837. Colby entered politics as a member of the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral State legislature (United States), legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members com ...

, serving from 1828 to 1832 and 1837 to 1839. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in 1833 and 1835, and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1843, 1844 and 1845. In 1846, Colby ran for governor as the Whig nominee. He originally placed second to Democrat

Jared W. Williams Jared Warner Williams (December 22, 1796September 29, 1864) was an American lawyer and politician from Lancaster, New Hampshire, who was a List of United States Representatives from New Hampshire, U.S. representative, the 21st governor of New Ha ...

, receiving 32% of the vote to Williams's 48%. However, the state constitution imposed a majority-vote requirement in gubernatorial elections, so the failure of any candidate in the race to win a majority threw the election to the General Court. A Whig– Liberty Party–Independent Democrat coalition, led by Independent Democrat John P. Hale, won control of the state government and elected Colby as Governor over Williams. Colby served from June 4, 1846, to June 3, 1847. He ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 1847, in which he lost to Williams. After leaving the governorship, Colby remained active in business, the military and politics. He served again in the New Hampshire House from 1860 to 1861, and during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

served as Adjutant General of the

New Hampshire Militia The New Hampshire Militia was a militia of what is now the U.S. state of New Hampshire. First organized in 1631, it was redesignated as the New Hampshire National Guard in 1879. History The Militia was first organized within the Province of Ne ...

from 1861 to 1863. He then became provost marshal of the militia, with his son Daniel succeeding him as adjutant general. Colby was interested in

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

. He was a trustee of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

from 1850 to 1870, and received an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

from Dartmouth in 1850. He was also the founder of Colby Academy, which through expansions and mergers is now known as Colby-Sawyer College. Colby died in New London on July 20, 1873, and was buried in New London's Old Main Street Cemetery. Colby's papers are held at Colby-Sawyer College.Anthony Colby's papers

References

External links

at

', retrieved October 5, 2014 *, retrieved October 5, 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Colby, Anthony 1792 births 1873 deaths Governors of New Hampshire Dartmouth College people New Hampshire Whigs Whig Party state governors of the United States Members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives American militiamen in the War of 1812 American militia generals People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War Colby–Sawyer College People from New London, New Hampshire 19th-century members of the New Hampshire General Court