Reuben Atwater, also known as Reuben Attwater (May 11, 1768 – February 1831) was the Secretary of

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroi ...

and served as acting governor during 1811–1812.

Biography

Reuben Atwater was born in 1768, in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

, the son of Reuben Attwater and Mary Russell. He married Eliza Williard, and after her death married Sarah Lamb, daughter of General John Lamb. Atwater had two children: Catharine Atwater and Clinton Edward Atwater. Atwater was the Secretary of

from March 18, 1808, to October 15, 1814, and was at the same time collector for the port of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. He directed the 1810 census of the Michigan Territory, acted as Land Commissioner until 1811, and served as acting governor during the absence of Governor

William Hull William Hull (June 24, 1753 – November 29, 1825) was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was appointed as Governor of Michigan Territory (1805–13), gaining large land cessions from several Ame ...

in 1811–12. Atwater Street in Detroit was named after him. Reuben Atwater died in 1831.

Notes

Michigan Territory officials 1768 births 1831 deaths Politicians from Detroit {{Michigan-politician-stub