Ransom Hooker Gillet (January 27, 1800 – October 24, 1876) was an attorney 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 * ...

. A Jacksonian and later 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 ...

, he was most notable for his service in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from 1833 to 1837.

Biography

Gillet was born in

New Lebanon, New York New Lebanon is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Columbia County, New York, United States, southeast of Albany, New York, Albany. The population was 2,514 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 census, New Lebanon town, Col ...

on January 27, 1800, the son of John and Lucy Gillet. He pursued an academic course, then studied law with

Silas Wright Silas Wright Jr. (May 24, 1795 – August 27, 1847) was an American attorney and Democratic politician. A member of the Albany Regency, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, New York State Comptroller, United Stat ...

Canton, New York Canton is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,638 at the time of the 2020 census. The town contains two Administrative divisions of New York#Villa ...

. 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 1822 and commenced practice in

Ogdensburg, New York Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 10,064 at the 2020 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden. T ...

. Active in the

New York State Militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the State Defense Force (SDF) of New York State, and is one of the four branches of the New York Military Forces (NYMF), the other three branches being the New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard ...

from 1827 to 1837, Gillet attained the rank

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

as inspector of the 49th Brigade. From 1830 to 1833 Gillet served as Ogdensburg's postmaster. He was a delegate to the

1832 Democratic National Convention The 1832 Democratic National Convention was held from May 21 to May 23, 1832, in Baltimore, Maryland. In the first presidential nominating convention ever held by the Democratic Party, incumbent President Andrew Jackson was nominated for a seco ...

Congress

Gillet was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837). He was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1836.

Federal appointments

Gillet served as a federal commissioner to negotiate with New York's Indian tribes from 1837 to 1839. He was a delegate to the

1840 Democratic National Convention The 1840 Democratic National Convention was held in Baltimore, Maryland, from May 5 to May 6. The Democratic Party re-nominated President Martin Van Buren by acclamation, but failed to select a nominee for vice president. Van Buren is the only ...

. On April 1, 1845 Gillet was appointed Register of the United States Treasury and he served until May 27, 1847, when he was appointed

Solicitor of the United States Treasury The Solicitor of the Treasury position was created in the United States Department of the Treasury by an act of May 29, 1830 , which changed the name of the Agent of the Treasury. Function The Solicitor of the Treasury served as legal advisor to t ...

. He continued as solicitor until October 31, 1849. In 1855, Gillet was appointed Assistant United States Attorney General and he served from 1855 to 1858. In 1858, he was appointed Solicitor of the U.S. Court of Claims, and he served until 1861.

Retirement and death

Gillet retired from public life in 1867 and authored several books, including a two-volume biography of Silas Wright. He died in Washington, D.C., October 24, 1876. He was interred in Glenwood Cemetery.

Family

In 1825, Gillet he married Eleanor C. Barhydt (1806-1881). They were married until his death and were the parents of a son, Silas Wright Gillet (1829-1878). Silas W. Gillet was a graduate of

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

and served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

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 ...

. He later resided in New Lebanon, where he served in local offices including town justice and school board member.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillet, Ransom Hooker 1800 births 1876 deaths People from New Lebanon, New York New York (state) lawyers United States Department of the Treasury officials Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives