Lemuel Stetson (March 13, 1804 – May 17, 1868) was an attorney, politician and judge from

Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The population of the sur ...

. He was most notable for his service as judge of the

Clinton County, New York Clinton County is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 79,843. Its county seat is the city of Plattsburgh. The county lies just south of the border with the Cana ...

court and one term as a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

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 * ...

from 1843 to 1845.

Early life

Stetson was born in

Champlain, New York Champlain is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 5,754 at the 2010 census. The town is located on the western shore of Lake Champlain, near the northern end of Lake Champlain and is on the U.S./Canadian border ...

, one of thirteen children born to Reuben and Lois (Smedley) Stetson of

Hardwick, Massachusetts Hardwick is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States, about northwest of the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester. It had a population of 2,667 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. Stetson was raised on his family's farm and attended the public schools of Champlain. He attended the academy in Plattsburgh and received additional instruction in classical languages from the academy's principal. Stetson taught school while studying law with attorneys Julius C. Hubbell of Chazy, Henry. K. Averill of Rouses Point, and John Lynde of Plattsburgh. 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 ...

in 1828 and commenced practice in

Keeseville, New York Keeseville is a hamlet (New York), hamlet (and census-designated place) in Clinton County, New York, Clinton and Essex County, New York, Essex counties, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2010 census. The ...

Start of career

In addition to practicing law, Stetson became active in politics as a Democrat. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

1835 Events January–March * January 7 – anchors off the Chonos Archipelago on her second voyage, with Charles Darwin on board as naturalist. * January 8 – The United States public debt contracts to zero, for the only time in history. ...

1836 Events January–March * January 1 — Hill Street Academy is named Colombo Academy and acquired by the Government, establishing the first public school in Sri Lanka. * January 1 – Queen Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand ...

, and

1842 Events January–March * January 6– 13 – First Anglo-Afghan War – Massacre of Elphinstone's army (Battle of Gandamak): British East India Company troops are destroyed by Afghan forces on the road from Kabul to Jalalabad, Afghan ...

. From 1838 to 1843, Stetson served as

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

of Clinton County. Stetson was active in several upstate New York businesses, including serving as secretary and a board of directors member of the Clinton and Essex Mutual Insurance Company.

Congressman

Stetson was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1842 and served in the 28th Congress (March 4, 1843 - March 3, 1845). During his term in the US House, Stetson was a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee on Revolutionary Claims. In addition, he was chairman of the Committee on District of Columbia.

Later career

In 1846, Stetson was a delegate to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

and was chairman of the committee that considered the powers and duties of the state legislature. In 1847, he moved to Plattsburgh to take office as judge of the Clinton County court, and he served from 1847 to 1851. Stetson was involved in the long running dispute between the Barnburners and Hunkers of New York's Democratic Party and in 1855 was the unsuccessful "Soft Hunker" nominee for New York State Comptroller. He was a delegate to the

1860 Democratic National Convention The 1860 Democratic National Conventions were a series of presidential nominating conventions held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The first convention, held from April 23 ...

in Baltimore, where he supported

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (né Douglass; April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. As a United States Senate, U.S. senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party (United States) ...

for president. Stetson returned to the State Assembly in and

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

, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Stetson was a pro- Union Democrat and supported measures to prosecute the war and prevent the Confederate states from seceding.

Death and burial

Stetson died in Plattsburgh on May 17, 1868. He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Plattsburgh.

Family

In 1831 Stetson married Helen Hascall (1808-1860). Their children included sons Ralph, John, Francis, and William. John was killed during the Civil War's

Maryland campaign The Maryland campaign (or Antietam campaign) occurred September 4–20, 1862, during the American Civil War. The campaign was Confederate States Army, Confederate General (CSA), General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the Northern United Stat ...

while serving as lieutenant colonel and second in command of the 59th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

References

Sources

Magazines

Books

* *

Newspapers

External links

*
Stetson Family Papers
at Fort Worth Library Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Stetson, Lemuel 1804 births 1868 deaths People from Champlain, New York Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly County district attorneys in New York (state) New York state court judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century New York state court judges 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives