Athelston Gaston (April 24, 1838 – September 23, 1907) was a Democratic 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 ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Biography

Athelston Gaston was born in Castile, New York. He moved with his parents to

Crawford County, Pennsylvania Crawford County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,938. Its county seat is Meadville. The county was created on March 12, 1800, from part of Allegheny County and named for Colonel W ...

, in 1854. He was engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1873, when he became a dealer in and manufacturer of

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

. He served as mayor of

Meadville, Pennsylvania Meadville is a city in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 13,050 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania, Meadville is withi ...

, from 1891 to 1895. Gaston was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-sixth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1900. He resumed the lumber business. Gaston was killed while on a hunting trip along

Lake Edward Lake Edward (locally Rwitanzigye or Rweru) is one of the smaller African Great Lakes. It is located in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift, on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, ...

in northern

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada, in 1907. There was no ceremony. Interment in Greendale Cemetery in

Sources

The Political Graveyard
1838 births 1907 deaths Mayors of places in Pennsylvania People from Castile, New York People from Meadville, Pennsylvania Accidental deaths in Quebec Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Hunting accident deaths Burials at Greendale Cemetery 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub