Henry Meigs (October 28, 1782 – May 20, 1861) was a

U.S. Representative 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

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 * ...

. Born in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, the son of

Josiah Meigs Josiah Meigs (August 21, 1757 – September 4, 1822) was an American academic, journalist, and government official. He was the first acting president of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, Athens, where he implemented the university's f ...

and Clara (Benjamin) Meigs,Henry Meigs
by Rick Meigs, Meigs Family Genealogy and History website Meigs attended the common schools. He was graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1799. He studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and commenced practice in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

with the rank of adjutant. He served as member of the state assembly in 1818. Meigs 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 Sixteenth Congress (March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings (Sixteenth Congress). He served as president of the board of aldermen of New York City in 1832 and 1833. He served as judge of one of the city courts and afterward clerk of the court of general sessions. Meigs was elected recording secretary of the

American Institute of the City of New York The American Institute of the City of New York (or The American Institute of the City of New York for the Encouragement of Science and Invention) was a civic organization that existed from . The institute was an association of inventors. It or ...

in 1845, and retained this position in connection with the secretaryship of the Farmers' Club until his death. He died in New York City on May 20, 1861. According to Congressional records, he was interred in St. Ann's Churchyard,

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in northeastern Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area, New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city' ...

, but church records record that he was originally buried in St. Luke's in New York City and later moved to St. Peter's Churchyard in Perth Amboy. His son, Henry Meigs Jr. was the first mayor of

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Gateway Region on Bergen Neck, a peninsula between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York ...

, and the president of the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meigs, Henry 1782 births 1861 deaths Yale College alumni Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut American military personnel of the War of 1812 Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Meigs family 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature