Rodolphus (sometimes Robert) Holland Duell (December 20, 1824 – February 11, 1891) 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 elected to Congress and became United States Commissioner of Patents.

Early life

Duell was born in

Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...

Herkimer County, New York Herkimer County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer (village), New York, Herkimer. The co ...

on December 20, 1824, a son of Joseph Duell and Phoebe (Potter) Duell. He completed preparatory studies and subsequently studied law, first with

Daniel Gott Daniel Gott (July 10, 1794 – July 6, 1864) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. representative for New York's 24th congressional district from 1847 to 1851. Early life and education Daniel Gott was born in Hebron, Conne ...

and later with Charles B. Sedgwick. He 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 1845 and commenced practice in

Fabius In Roman mythology, Fabius was the son of Hercules and an unnamed mother. In "The Life of Fabius Maximus" from the ''Parallel Lives'' by Plutarch, Fabius, the first of his name, was the son of Hercules by a nymph or a woman native to the country, ...

Family

In 1846, Duell married Mary Ledyard Cuyler (1822–1884). They were the parents of four children: Louise C., Charles H., Kate L., and Richard C. In December 1888, he married Mary H. Greene.

Career

Originally a Whig, he joined the Republican Party when it was formed in the mid-1850s. Duell moved to Cortland in 1847, and was

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Cortland County Cortland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population of Cortland County was 46,809. The county seat is Cortland. The county is named after Pierre Van Cortlandt, president of the convention a ...

from 1850 to 1855. He was Judge of Cortland County from 1855 to 1859. He was a delegate to the

1856 Republican National Convention The 1856 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met from June 17 to June 19, 1856, at Musical Fund Hall at 808 Locust Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the first national nominating conventio ...

, as well as the 1864 convention and the one in in 1868. Duell was elected as a Republican to the 36th and

37th United States Congress The 37th 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, 1861 ...

es, holding office from March 4, 1859, to March 3, 1863; during the 37th Congress, he was Chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Claims. He resumed the practice of law in Cortland and was Assessor of Internal Revenue for the 23rd District of New York from 1869 to 1871. He was elected to the 42nd and

43rd United States Congress The 43rd 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, 1873, ...

es, holding office from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 1875. During the 43rd Congress he was Chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings. Duell was appointed as United States Commissioner of Patents by President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

on October 1, 1875, and remained in office until January 30, 1877. He resumed the practice of law in Cortland and New York City. He died in Cortland on February 11, 1891; interment was in

Cortland Rural Cemetery The Cortland Rural Cemetery is located in Cortland, New York, United States. A non-profit, non-denominational cemetery established in 1853, the still operational cemetery has a physical footprint of approximately and features the attributes typi ...

References

External links

*
Sackett family
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duell, R Holland 1824 births 1891 deaths Politicians from Herkimer County, New York County district attorneys in New York (state) People from Cortland, New York Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century New York state court judges 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives