John Sanford (June 3, 1803 – October 4, 1857) was an American businessman and politician who served one term as 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 from 1841 to 1843.

Biography

Early life

John Sanford was born in

Roxbury, Connecticut Roxbury is a New England town, town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,260 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is located northeast of New York City, and is p ...

Family

He was the second son of Sarah Curtis (1771–1856) and her husband Stephen Sandford I (1769–1848). His brother was Nehemiah Curtis Sanford, who was the father of

Henry Shelton Sanford Henry Shelton Sanford (June 15, 1823 – May 21, 1891) was an American diplomat and businessman from Connecticut who served as United States Minister to Belgium from 1861 to 1869. He is also known for founding the city of Sanford, Florida and ...

, the diplomat who founded the city of

Sanford, Florida Sanford is a city and the county seat of Seminole County, Florida, United States. It is located in Central Florida and its population was 61,051 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical ...

Career

He moved to

Amsterdam, New York Amsterdam () is a city in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,219. The city is named after Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam is bordered on the northern and ea ...

, in 1821 where he taught school. He later taught in Mayfield and also engaged in mercantile pursuits there.

Congress

He was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Twenty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843).

Later career

He returned to Amsterdam and founded a

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...

mill but the factory was destroyed by fire in 1854, whereupon he retired from active business.

Personal life

In 1822, he married Amsterdam native Mary Slack (1803–1888). They had three daughters and three sons: *Sarah Caroline (1824–1871) *

Stephen Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...

(1826–1913) *Nelson (1828–1848) *David (1830–1885) *Aledah (born 1833) *Harriette (born 1836)

Death

He died in Amsterdam in 1857 and was interred there in the Green Hill Cemetery.

Family

His son Stephen served in Congress and operated the family carpet business, as did his grandson John Sanford II. Originally Sanford Carpet, the company merged with another manufacturer to become Bigelow-Sanford. Bigelow-Sanford later became part of

Mohawk Industries Mohawk Industries is an American flooring manufacturer based in Calhoun, Georgia. Mohawk produces floor covering products for residential and commercial applications in North America and residential applications in Europe. The company manufactur ...

, a maker of carpet and other flooring.

Sources

References

Schenectady Digital History Archive — a service of the Schenectady County Public Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanford, John 1803 births 1857 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives