Arphaxed Loomis (April 9, 1798September 15, 1885) was an American lawyer and judge. He was a member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

, representing New York's 16th district during the 25th Congress (1837–1839). His unusual first name is from a character in the Bible, a grandson of Noah named Arphacshad.

Early career

Born in

Winsted, Connecticut Winsted is a census-designated place and an incorporated city in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the town of Winchester, Connecticut, Winchester. The population of Winsted was 7,192 at the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

, Loomis moved to New York in 1801 with his parents, who settled upon a farm in the town of

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, Herkimer County. He attended the common schools and

Fairfield Academy Fairfield Academy was an academy that existed for nearly one hundred years in the Town of Fairfield, New York, Fairfield, Herkimer County, New York. Founding It was organized as an academy for men in 1802, when the community was an active local ...

Fairfield, New York Fairfield is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,627 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Fairfield, Connecticut. The town is north of the village of Herkime ...

. He studied law, 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 ...

at Albany in 1822 and commenced practice at

Sackets Harbor, New York Sackets Harbor (earlier spelled Sackett (surname), Sacketts Harbor) is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, on Lake Ontario. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augus ...

, the same year.

Career

He returned to Salisbury in 1825, but later in that year moved to

Little Falls, New York Little Falls is a city in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 4,605 at the time of the 2020 census, which is the second-smallest city population in the state, ahead of only the city of Sherrill. The city is built on bo ...

, and continued the practice of his profession. He was surrogate of Herkimer County from 1828 to 1836, and as commissioner to investigate the State prisons in 1834. He was county judge of Herkimer County in 1835–1840.

Congress

Loomis was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839). He served as chairman of the Committee on Patents (Twenty-fifth Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1838.

Later career

He served as 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 1841 and 1842. He served as a member of the State constitutional convention in 1846. He served as a member of the commission to revise, abridge, and simplify pleadings and proceedings in

civil action A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. T ...

s in 1847. He was again a member of the New York State Assembly in 1853 and 1854. He served as a delegate to the Democratic State conventions in 1861 and 1863.

Death and burial

He died at

, September 15, 1885. He was interred in the Church Street Cemetery.

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loomis, Arphaxed 1798 births 1885 deaths People from Winsted, Connecticut People from Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Little Falls, New York 19th-century New York state court judges 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives