Loren B. Sessions (October 12, 1827 – November 20, 1897) was an American lawyer and politician 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 * ...

. He was most notable for his service in the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

from 1878 to 1881.

Life

Sessions was born in

Brandon, Vermont Brandon is a New England town, town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 4,129. History On October 20, 1761, the town of Neshobe was chartered to Capt. Josiah Powers. In ...

on October 12, 1827, a son of John S. Sessions and Sally (Green) Sessions. Congressman Walter L. Sessions was his brother. His family moved to

Clymer, New York Clymer is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Chautauqua County, New York, Chautauqua County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,748 at the 2020 census. The town is named for George Clymer, a signer of ...

in 1835, where Sessions attended the common schools, worked on his father's farm, and taught school. In 1846, he attended Westfield Academy, and in 1848 he graduated from Albany Normal School. He studied law with Lorenzo Morris in Mayville while continuing to teach school, 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 1852, and practiced in Chautauqua County. He was Deputy Clerk 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 ...

1854 Events January–March * January 4 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the ''Samarang''. * January 6 – The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is perhaps born. * January 9 – The Te ...

, and Deputy Clerk of the

1860 Events January * January 2 – The astronomer Urbain Le Verrier announces the discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan (hypothetical planet), Vulcan at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 &ndas ...

. He was

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the American state of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, towns, and villages. (The only boroughs, the f ...

Harmony, New York Harmony is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 2,108 at the 2020 census. The town is on the south border of the county and southwest of Jamestown. History First settlement began ''circa'' 1809. Harmony wa ...

from 1865 to 1870 and 1873 to 1889; and Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Chautauqua County for seven terms. He was a member of the

(32nd D.) from 1878 to 1881, sitting in the 101st, 102nd, 103rd and

104th New York State Legislature The 104th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to July 23, 1881, during the second year of Alonzo B. Cornell's governorship, in Albany. Background Under th ...

s. In 1883, he was indicted and tried, for having attempted to bribe Assemblyman Samuel H. Bradley during the

United States Senate special elections in New York, 1881 The 1881 United States Senate special elections in New York was held from May 31 to July 22 by the New York State Legislature to elect two U.S. Senator from New York, U.S. senators (Class 1 and Class 3) to represent New York (state), New York i ...

. He was acquitted at his trial. Sessions died

Panama, New York Panama is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 465 at the 2020 census. Panama is in the northwest part of the town of Harmony, at the junction of State Route 474 (Main Street) and County Route 33. The vill ...

on November 20, 1897.

Sources

''Civil List and Constitutional History of the Colony and State of New York''
compiled by Edgar Albert Werner (1884; pg. 291)
''The State Government for 1879''
by Charles G. Shanks (Weed, Parsons & Co, Albany NY, 1879; pg. 71f)
''THE LOREN B. SESSIONS CASE''
in NYT on October 3, 1883
''LOREN B. SESSIONS ACQUITTED''
in NYT on October 19, 1883
''DEATH LIST OF A DAY; Loren B. Sessions''
in NYT on November 21, 1897

transcribed from ''History of Chautauqua County, New York and Its People'' by John P. Downs & Fenwick Y. Hedley (1921), at Ray's Place {{DEFAULTSORT:Sessions, Loren B 1827 births 1897 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Brandon, Vermont Town supervisors in New York (state) People from Chautauqua County, New York Missing middle or first names 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature