Robert Safford Hale (September 24, 1822 – December 14, 1881) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

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 * ...

. Born in

Chelsea, Vermont Chelsea is a town in and the shire town (county seat) of Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2020 census. Geography Chelsea is located in a river valley in central Vermont. The First Branch of the White R ...

, Hale attended South Royalton (Vermont) Academy, and was graduated from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

at Burlington in 1842. He studied law. 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 ...

and commenced practice in

Elizabethtown, New York Elizabethtown is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,163 at the 2010 census. The county seat of Essex County is the hamlet of Elizabethtown, located in the northern part of the town. The name is derived from E ...

, in 1847. He served as judge of Essex County 1856–1864. He was elected a Regent of the

University of the State of New York The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state governmental umbrella organization that oversees all educational institutions, including schools, libraries, and museums in New York State. It is governed by the Board of Regents. D ...

in 1859. In the

1860 presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 6, 1860. The History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin emerged victoriou ...

, he was a

presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

for

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

and Hannibal Hamiln. He served as special counsel of the United States charged with the defense of the "abandoned and captured property claims" 1868–1870 and as Agent and counsel for the United States before the American and British Mixed Commission under the

Treaty of Washington A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

1871–1873. Hale was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-ninth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Orlando Kellogg Orlando Kellogg (June 18, 1809 – August 24, 1865) was a U.S. Representative from New York during the latter half of the American Civil War and the early days of Reconstruction. Biography Kellogg was born in Elizabethtown, New York and Kellogg ...

and served from December 3, 1866, to March 3, 1867. Hale was elected to the Forty-third Congress (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875). He served as chairman of the Committee on District of Columbia (Forty-third Congress). He was not a candidate for reelection in 1874. He was appointed a commissioner of the State survey April 29, 1876, in which capacity he was serving when he died in

, on December 14, 1881. He was interred in Riverside Cemetery. State Senator Matthew Hale (1829–1897) was his brother.

References

External links

"An Increase of the powers of Congress under the constitution not desirable : speech of Hon. Robert S. Hale of New York in the House of Representatives, February 27, 1866"
Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection,

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

.
"Annual address to the graduating class of the Law department of Columbian college, Washington, D.C."
by Hon. Robert S. Hale, of New York, June 12, 1872. Columbian University is the former name of

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hale, Robert S 1822 births 1881 deaths People from Chelsea, Vermont People from Elizabethtown, New York University of Vermont alumni Regents of the University of the State of New York Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 1860 United States presidential electors 19th-century New York state court judges 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives