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Elisha Reynolds Potter (November 5, 1764September 26, 1835) was a statesman in the
Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a conservativeMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * and nationalist American political party and the first political party in the United States. It dominated the national government under Alexander Hamilton from 17 ...
from
Kingston, Rhode Island Kingston is a village and a census-designated place within the New England town, town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, South Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and the site of the mai ...
, who served several times as the Speaker in the Rhode Island State Assembly.


Early life

Potter was born in Little Rest (now known as Kingston) in the
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was an English colony on the eastern coast of America, founded in 1636 by Puritan minister Roger Williams after his exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It became a haven for religious d ...
on November 5, 1764, and he resided there for all of his life Elisha Reynolds House. He was the son of Thomas Potter and Elizabeth ( Reynolds) Potter. His maternal grandparents were Elisha Reynolds and Susannah ( Potter) Reynolds and his paternal grandparents were Ichabod Potter and Margaret ( Helme) Potter. He received a formal education at Plainfield Academy, and law instruction under Matthew Robinson.


Career

He began his career as a
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
's apprentice, but switched to the law in 1793. Potter was said to be a very large man; when he traveled by
stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
, he had to purchase two seats. Potter ran against
Peleg Arnold Peleg Arnold (1751–1820) was a lawyer, tavern-keeper, jurist, and statesman from Smithfield, Rhode Island (now North Smithfield). He represented Rhode Island as a delegate to the Continental Congress in the 1787–1788 session. He later serv ...
in a special election for 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 ...
in 1796 caused by
Benjamin Bourne Benjamin Bourne (September 9, 1755September 17, 1808) was a United States representative from Rhode Island, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island and a United States Circuit Judge of t ...
's resignation, and Potter won the election. He served as a United States Congressman from 1796 to 1797 and again from 1809 to 1815. He was elected a member of the
American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...
in 1815.American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
/ref> Potter ran for
governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Dan McKee, a member of the Democrati ...
in 1818, but lost to Nehemiah R. Knight.


Personal life

Potter was twice married and his first wife was Mary ( Gardiner) Perkins (1754–1809), daughter of Caleb Gardiner and widow of merchant Joseph Perkins in 1790. After the death of his first wife in 1809, he married her 31-year-old niece, Mary Mawney (1779–1835), in 1810. His second wife was the daughter of Pardon Mawney. Together, Elisha and his second wife were the parents of five surviving children, including: * Elisha Reynolds Potter Jr. (1811–1882), who was also a Congressman. * Thomas Mawney Potter (1814–1890), who married Loes Martin. * William Henry Potter (1816–1908), who married Sarah Corlis ( Whipple) Swann in 1857. * James Brown Mason Potter (1818–1900), who married Eliza Palmer in 1849. * Mary Elizabeth Potter (1820–1901) His second wife died in July, 1835 at the house of her brother-in-law, Jeffery Davis. Potter died on September 26, 1835, and is buried in Colonel Thomas Potter Cemetery near Kingston, Rhode Island.


See also

* Tavern Hall Preservation Society


External links


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Elisha Reynolds 1764 births 1835 deaths People from South Kingstown, Rhode Island Politicians from Washington County, Rhode Island Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives