Samuel Birdsall (May 14, 1791 – February 8, 1872) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as 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 * ...

from 1837 to 1839.

Biography

Born in

Hillsdale, New York Hillsdale is a town in eastern Columbia County, New York, Columbia County, New York (state), New York, near the New York - Massachusetts border and Great Barrington, Massachusetts. New York state routes New York State Route 22, 22 and New York St ...

, Birdsall attended the common schools and studied law in the office of

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...

. 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 1812 and commenced practice in

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...

Family

He married Ann Eliza Kendig and they had three children.

Early career

Birdsall served as a master in chancery in 1815 and moved to

Waterloo, New York Waterloo is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 7,378 at the 2020 census. The town and its major community are named after Waterloo, Belgium, where Napoleon was defeated. There is also a village called Wate ...

, in 1817. In 1819 he was commissioned Judge Advocate of the New York Militia's 21st Division with the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. He was counselor in the

supreme court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

and solicitor in chancery in 1823. He served as surrogate court judge of Seneca County from 1827 to 1837 and was a state bank commissioner in 1832.

Tenure in Congress

Elected as 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 ...

to the Twenty-fifth Congress, Birdsall was United States Representative for the twenty-fifth district of New York from March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1839.

Later career

Not a candidate for renomination in 1838, Birdsall was admitted to practice before the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

in 1838; and served as

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 ...

of Seneca County in 1846. He was Postmaster of

, from 1853 to 1863.

Death

Birdsall died in Waterloo on February 8, 1872 (age 80 years, 270 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

at Maple Grove Cemetery in Waterloo.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birdsall, Samuel 1791 births 1872 deaths United States Army officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) New York (state) postmasters People from Hillsdale, New York People from Cooperstown, New York Politicians from Otsego County, New York People from Waterloo, New York 19th-century New York state court judges 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives