Orson Flagg Bullard (June 18, 1834 - July 19, 1906) was an American politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

who served as a Republican member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

for Delaware County from 1873 to 1875 and from 1877 to 1878. He was expelled from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for

embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

and escaping the custody of the

sergeant-at-arms A serjeant-at-arms or sergeant-at-arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin , which means "servant". Historically, serjeants-at-a ...

of the House.

Early life and education

Bullard was born in

Bridgewater Township, Pennsylvania Bridgewater Township is a township in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,582 at the 2020 census, but is now estimated to be 2,754. History Bridgewater Township was formed in November 1806 from parts of Tunkha ...

, he attended public schools and completed his education at the academy at Montrose. In 1863, Bullard enlisted in Company C of the 29th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and served as a sergeant. He participated in several skirmishes around the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

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 ...

. In 1855, Bullard began studying law under

John Martin Broomall John Martin Broomall (January 19, 1816 – June 3, 1894) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 7th congression ...

. He also worked as a principal of a boys' grammar school in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...

but quit after one year to study law full time. In 1859, he was admitted to the Delaware County bar and in 1874 to the Philadelphia bar and to practice in the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as the "Supreme Court" of Pennsylvania were made offici ...

Career

He served as clerk for the office of the

Prothonotary A prothonotary is the "principal clerk of a court," from Late Latin, L.L. ''prothonotarius'' (Wiktionary:circa, c. 400), from Greek ''protonotarios'' "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the Byzantine E ...

, Delaware County from 1862 to 1865 and was elected Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts for Delaware County from 1866-1871. Bullard was also elected school director for

Media, Pennsylvania Media is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about west of Philadelphia. It is part of the Delaware Valley, also known as the Philadelphia metropolitan area. ...

and served for 2 years. Bullard was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County for the 1873, 1877 and 1878 terms. He was not a candidate for reelection to the House for the 1874 term. Bullard was charged with embezzlement of funds from the Media Gas Company where he served as secretary. He was expelled from the House on March 7, 1878 for embezzlement and escaping the custody of the sergeant-at-arms of the House.

Personal life

In 1859, Bullard married Rebecca A. Huston and together they had nine children. Their son, William H.G. Bullard was an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

who served in the

Spanish American War Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was a member of the Beradburg Post No. 149,

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

. Bullard died in Hackensack, New Jersey and is interred at the Media Cemetery in

Upper Providence Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Upper Providence Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, located around and to the north of the borough of Media, and approximately west of center city Philadelphia. The population was 10,142 at the 2010 census. ...

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bullard, Orson Flagg 1834 births 1906 deaths Burials at Media Cemetery Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania politicians convicted of crimes Pennsylvania prothonotaries People from Media, Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly