Meredith Mallory (January 31, 1781 – September 22, 1855) was an American 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 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 1839 to 1841.

Biography

Born in

Watertown, Connecticut Watertown is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. The population was 22,105 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Waterbury. The urban center of the town is the Wat ...

on January 31, 1781, Mallory attended the common schools and relocated to

Yates County, New York Yates County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 24,774, making it the third-least populous county in New York. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as G ...

, where he worked as a wheelwright and farmed.

Military service

During 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 ...

he served as a

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in New York's 42nd Regiment of Militia.

Political career

He was elected

Benton, New York Benton is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Yates County, New York, Yates County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 2,836 at the 2010 census. The town is named after an early resident, Levi Benton (17 ...

's Town Assessor in 1819, and served as

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 ...

in 1820. He later moved to

Hammondsport, New York Hammondsport is a village in Steuben County, New York, United States. First settled in 1792 the village is located at the south end of Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. Beginning in the 1790s the village began to take form, which included a c ...

, where he owned and operated a mill and held several local offices. He served as 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 ...

in 1835, and a Justice of the Peace in 1838. In 1837 he was active in organizing residents in the

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...

to lobby the

New York and Lake Erie Railroad The New York & Lake Erie is a class III railroad operating in Western New York. The NYLE was formed in 1978 to operate a portion of former Erie trackage that Conrail no longer wanted. Today, the railroad operates between Gowanda to Cherry Cree ...

to create the Cohocton Route, which aided in the economic development of New York's central and southwestern counties.

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-sixth Congress (March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841).

Later career

He was not a candidate for reelection and returned to his business ventures in Hammondsport. In the mid-1840s his finances became overextended and his mills and other properties were sold to satisfy his debts. He later moved to

Batavia, Illinois Batavia () is a city mainly in Kane County, Illinois, Kane County and partly in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in the Chicago metropolitan area, it was founded in 1833 and is the oldest city in Kan ...

, which was then a village, where he was a partner with his son in law in a dam, mills, machine shops and farms. He also served as a member of Batavia Township's Town Council.

Death

Mallory died in Batavia on September 22, 1855. He was buried in West Batavia Cemetery.United States House of Representatives
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References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallory, Meredith 1781 births 1855 deaths American militiamen in the War of 1812 American militia officers People from Watertown, Connecticut People from Benton, New York People from Hammondsport, New York People from Batavia, Illinois Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Military personnel from Illinois 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives