Mason Weare Tappan (October 20, 1817 – October 25, 1886) was a

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

state representative, a

U.S. congressman 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 1855 to 1861, a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

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 ...

and the

New Hampshire Attorney General The attorney general of New Hampshire is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New Hampshire who serves as head of the New Hampshire Department of Justice. , the state's attorney general is John Formella. Qualifications and appointment ...

. He was born in

Newport, New Hampshire Newport is a New England town, town in and the county seat of Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. It is west-northwest of Concord, New Hampshire, Concord, the state capital. The population of Newport was 6,299 at the 2020 United States ...

, and grew up in

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

. He attended private schools and the Hopkinton and Meriden academies. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1841 and commenced practice in Bradford. Tappan served in the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral State legislature (United States), legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members com ...

1853 to 1855. He was elected as an American Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress and reelected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth congresses (March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1861). While in Congress, he served as chairman, Committee on Claims (Thirty-sixth Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1860. During the Civil War, he served as colonel of the 1st New Hampshire Infantry, a three-months

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

raised in 1861 in response to President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

's call to arms. He mustered out in August 1861. Tappan died in office as the

at the age of 69. He is buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Bradford, New Hampshire.

References

1817 births 1886 deaths People from Newport, New Hampshire New Hampshire attorneys general New Hampshire Know Nothings New Hampshire lawyers Republican Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War People from Bradford, New Hampshire Union army colonels Know-Nothing members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the New Hampshire General Court {{NewHampshire-NHRepresentative-Republican-stub