Nathaniel Buel Eldredge (March 28, 1813 – November 27, 1893) was a physician, infantry officer, lawyer, sheriff, and ultimately a two-term Democratic congressman from the State of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Biography

Eldredge was born in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, the ...

, and as he grew up, attended the common schools. He attended Fairfield Medical College and engaged in the practice of medicine in

Commerce, Michigan Commerce Township is a charter township in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, Commerce Township is located about northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population o ...

. He served as clerk of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

in 1845 and was a member of the

Michigan State House of Representatives Michigan ( ) is a peninsular state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, Indiana and Illinois to the southwest, Ohio ...

from Lapeer County in 1848. He served as probate judge from 1852 to 1856. He studied law, was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

and commenced practice in 1854. Soon after the outbreak of 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 ...

, Eldredge enrolled on June 19, 1861 as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of Company G of the

7th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 7th Michigan Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 7th Michigan Infantry was organized at Monroe, Michigan and mustered into Federal service for a three-year enl ...

. He resigned his commission in December 1861, then re-entered the service with the 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Commissioned as a lieutenant colonel on April 1, 1862, he was honorably discharged on January 7, 1863. He was elected sheriff of Lenawee County in 1874. In 1882, Eldredge 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 represent

Michigan's 2nd congressional district Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States congressional district in Western Michigan. The current 2nd district contains much of Michigan's 4th congressional district, Michigan's old 4th congressional district, and includes all of ...

in the

48th United States Congress The 48th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1883, ...

, defeating Republican Edward P. Allen. Eldredge's victory was part of the first postwar Democratic landslide. Eldredge was reelected two years later, serving in the

49th United States Congress The 49th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 188 ...

, where he was chairman of the Committee on Pensions. In all, he served from March 4, 1883 to March 3, 1887. Eldredge died in

Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 5th congressional district. The c ...

and was interred there in Oakwood Cemetery.

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-14
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eldredge, Nathaniel Buel 1813 births 1893 deaths Union army officers Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Mayors of Adrian, Michigan People of Michigan in the American Civil War Michigan sheriffs Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges Politicians from Auburn, New York People from Commerce, Michigan 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives