Elijah Babbitt (July 29, 1795 – January 9, 1887) was a Republican

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

. Babbitt was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. He moved with his parents to

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a U.S. state, state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the List of U.S. ...

in 1805. He received an academic education and moved to

Milton, Pennsylvania Milton is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States, on the West Branch Susquehanna River, north of Harrisburg, located in Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley. It is approximately 10 miles upriver from the mouth ...

, in 1816. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in March 1824 and commenced practice in Milton. He moved to

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

, in 1826 and continued the practice of law. He served as attorney for the borough and subsequently for the city of Erie. He was prosecuting attorney for

Erie County, Pennsylvania Erie County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the northernmost county in Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 270,876. Its county seat is Erie. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1803. ...

, in 1833 and served as deputy attorney general for the State in 1834 and 1835. He was a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

in 1836 and 1837 and served in the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered eve ...

from 1843 to 1846. Babbitt was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses. He was not a candidate for reelection in

1862 Events January–March * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico. * January ...

. He resumed the practice of law and died in Erie in 1887. He was interred in

Erie Cemetery Erie Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Erie, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great ...

Sources

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babbitt, Elijah 1795 births 1887 deaths 19th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania lawyers Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators Politicians from Erie, Pennsylvania Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American lawyers Burials in Pennsylvania