Daniel Stanton Bacon (December 12, 1798May 18, 1866) was an American politician and judge. He served as 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 ...

. He was the father of

Elizabeth Bacon Custer Elizabeth Bacon Custer ( Bacon; April 8, 1842 – April 4, 1933) was the wife of Brevet Major General George Armstrong Custer, United States Army. She spent most of their twelve-year marriage in relative proximity to him despite his numerous mi ...

, wife and later widow of General

George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

Early life

Daniel S. Bacon was born on December 12, 1798, in

Onondaga County, New York Onondaga County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse, New York, Syracuse. The county i ...

. Daniel later moved to Michigan, and settled in

Monroe, Michigan Monroe is the largest city in Monroe County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 20,462 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously. M ...

Career

In 1822, Bacon taught school on the

River Raisin The River Raisin (, 'River of Sturgeon') is a river in southeast Michigan, United States, that flows in a generally easterly direction through Ice age, glacial sediments before emptying into Lake Erie. The River Raisin drainage basin covers app ...

. Bacon engaged in a number of different businesses with his partner, Levi S. Humphrey. One business Bacon engaged in was being a practicing lawyer. Bacon served as a member of the

Michigan Territorial Council The Michigan Territorial Council, known formally as the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan, was the legislative body of the Territory of Michigan from 1824 to 1835, when it was succeeded by the Michigan Legislature in anticipation o ...

representing the 5th district from 1832 to 1835. Bacon was nominated by the Whig Party for the position of

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

in August 1837. On November 5, 1838, Bacon was elected a member of the

representing the Monroe County district from January 7, 1839, to April 20, 1839. During his term, he was nominated by the Whigs for the position of

speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

, but Kinsley S. Bingham was elected over him. Bacon served as a delegate to the

1839 Whig National Convention The 1839 Whig National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held from December 4 to December 8 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was the first national convention ever held by the Whig Party, and was organized to select the party ...

. For the 1852 presidential election, Bacon served as a Whig nominee for presidential elector. Bacon served as a probate judge for a number of years. He also served as president of a bank in Monroe, and as director of the Michigan Southern Railroad Company.

Personal life

Bacon married Eleanor Sophia Page on September 12, 1837 in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

. Their one surviving child, Elizabeth Bacon, was born on April 8, 1842. She would marry famed General

on February 9, 1864. Eleanor died on August 12, 1854. Bacon re-married to Rhoda Wells Pitts on February 23, 1859 in

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange (known simply as Orange) is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 34,447, an increase o ...

Death

Bacon died on May 18, 1866, in Monroe. He was interred at

Woodland Cemetery A woodland cemetery is a cemetery where the original landscape, with existing trees, is given much influence on the landscape architecture of the cemetery. A woodland cemetery is designed so that the landscape is given a more prominent position, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bacon, Daniel S. 1798 births 1866 deaths American bank presidents Burials at Woodland Cemetery (Monroe, Michigan) Michigan lawyers Michigan Whigs People from Onondaga County, New York People from Monroe, Michigan Members of the Michigan Territorial Legislature Members of the Michigan House of Representatives 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature