Arunah Metcalf (February 14, 1771 – August 15, 1848) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Biography

Born in

Lebanon, Connecticut Lebanon ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 7,142 at the 2020 census. The town lies just to the northwest of Norwich, directly sou ...

, on February 14, 1771, he attended the common schools of Lebanon. In the late 18th century he moved from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

to New York, and settled in Otsego County. Metcalf was part of the "Metcalf Setlement" in Pierstown, which included many of his family members, among them his father and stepmother. Arunah Metcalf owned a farm in the area now known as

Metcalf Hill Metcalf Hill is a mountain in the central New York region of New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the ...

. In addition to operating his farm, Metcalf was involved in other business ventures and became a successful land speculator. Metcalf served in the state militia, holding the rank of ensign in an Otsego County company. He also became active in local government, including serving as deputy sheriff. From 1806 to 1810 he was Sheriff of Otsego County, New York. He was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

to the Twelfth Congress, holding office from March 4, 1811, to March 3, 1813. After serving in Congress Metcalf relocated to

Cooperstown Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...

. He served in 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 ...

from 1814 to 1816. He was a founder of the Otsego County Agricultural Society and served as its president in 1818. In 1819 Metcalf ran unsuccessfully for the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

. He served in the Assembly again in 1828. He died in Cooperstown on August 15, 1848. He was buried at Lakewood Cemetery in Cooperstown.

Legacy

*There is a mountain in

Otsego County, New York Otsego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,524. The county seat is Cooperstown. The county's population center is Oneonta. The name ''Otsego'' is from a Mohawk or Oneida word m ...

, named after him called

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Metcalf, Arunah 1771 births 1848 deaths People from Lebanon, Connecticut People from Cooperstown, New York Politicians from Otsego County, New York Sheriffs of Otsego County, New York Members of the New York State Assembly Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives