Rufus Palen (February 25, 1807 – April 26, 1844) was an American

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or Production (economics), production of goods with the help of equipment, Work (human activity), labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary se ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

in the U.S. state of

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 represented New York 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 ...

Biography

Palen was born in

Palenville, New York Palenville is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 1,002 at the 2020 census. Palenville is in the southwestern part of the town of Catskill, located at the junction of Routes ...

and moved with his family as a child to

Fallsburg Fallsburg is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The town is in the eastern part of the county. The population was 14,192 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Report Fallsburg, New York QuickFacts https://www.census. ...

. He received limited schooling and became engaged in the tanning and manufacture of leather as head of Rufus Palen & Co., and a partner in Knapp & Palen, Palen & Flagler, and other companies. In addition, he was a partner in a general store under the company name Palen Foster & Co., and was active in other business ventures. He held several political offices in New York, including postmaster of Palenville, and town board member, school supervisor, and district highway overseer for Fallsburg. He was elected as a Whig to the

Twenty-sixth Congress The 26th 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, 183 ...

, serving from March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841. Palen contracted tuberculosis during his term in Congress, and spent much of his time afterwards traveling outside the United States in an effort to improve his health. He died in New York City on April 26, 1844. He is interred in the Old Cemetery in

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Palen, Rufus 1807 births 1844 deaths People from Fallsburg, New York People from Catskill, New York New York (state) postmasters School board members in New York (state) Town supervisors in New York (state) Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives