Samuel Etheridge (April 15, 1788 – February 18, 1864) was a

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

for the seventh district of the state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

in 1838. Etheridge was born in

Adams, Massachusetts Adams is a town in northern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,166 at the 2020 census. History Nathan Jones purchased the township of ...

, on April 15, 1788 to parents of English lineage. He received a common-school education and excelled in mathematics. He taught school for a time; and, subsequently, having a taste for mechanics, learned the trade of a millwright and machinist. He worked in

West Schuyler, New York West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

in 1815, and in

Frankfort, New York Frankfort is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The town is named after one of its earliest settlers, Lawrence (Lewis) Frank. The town of Frankfort includes a village, also called Frankfort. Frankfort is located east of Utica, ...

in 1817. In 1833, when a resident of New York State, he became engaged in mercantile business; but, being unsuccessful, he moved to

Coldwater, Michigan Coldwater is a city in and county seat of Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city had a population of 13,822 at the 2020 census. The city is mostly surrounded by Coldwater Township, but the two are administered autonomously. H ...

and settled there in March, 1837. He had a very extensive business in

employing from fifty to seventy-five laborers. He built large mills at

Ypsilanti Ypsilanti ( ), commonly shortened to Ypsi ( ), is a college town and city located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north ...

Saline Saline may refer to: Salt-related * Saline (medicine), a liquid with salt content to match the human body * Saline water, non-medicinal salt water * Saline, a historical term (especially American) for a salt works or saltern Places United States ...

Leonidas Leonidas I (; , ''Leōnídas''; born ; died 11 August 480 BC) was king of the Ancient Greek city-state of Sparta. He was the son of king Anaxandridas II and the 17th king of the Agiad dynasty, a Spartan royal house which claimed descent fro ...

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

, and Allegan. He was elected to various local offices in Michigan; and, in 1838, to the State Senate, to represent the Seventh Senatorial District, which comprised the counties of

Branch A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins. History and etymology In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includ ...

St. Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orth ...

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...

, Van Buren, and

Cass Cass may refer to: People and fictional characters * Cass (surname), a list of people * Cass (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Big Cass, ring name of wrestler William Morrissey * Cass, in British band Skunk Anansie * Cass, ...

. In early manhood he became a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and advanced until he became a Knight Templar. Etheridge took an active part in every public enterprise, particularly in education, and frequently delivered addresses on that and other subjects. He possessed great natural ability for public speaking, but was hampered by the deficiencies of his early education. In the senate he was ridiculed for advocating public enterprises which after his death were carried into effect. Among those were the

Pacific Railroad The Pacific Railroad (not to be confused with Union Pacific Railroad) was a railroad based in Missouri. It was a predecessor of both the Missouri Pacific Railroad and St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. The Pacific was chartered by Missouri in 184 ...

, and the direct trade with China, the success of which argues that he saw into the future farther than his contemporaries. At the age of fifty-five years, he made a profession of religion, and united with the

Baptist Church Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...

in Coldwater. He was a

Jacksonian Democrat Jacksonian democracy, also known as Jacksonianism, was a 19th-century political ideology in the United States that restructured a number of federal institutions. Originating with the seventh U.S. president, Andrew Jackson and his supporters, i ...

. Standing at six feet and one inch, he was somewhat intimidating, but his gentle and sociable personality led to great personal popularity. He married twice and had ten children. He died in

Quincy, Michigan Quincy is a village in Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,554 at the 2020 census. The village is centered along U.S. Route 12 within Quincy Township. History The area was first settled by Horace Wilson, who fi ...

on February 18, 1864 at nearly 76 years of age. He is interred at Oak Grove Cemetery in

along with his wives and children.http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/estevan-evanoff.html#17G0G14SI Etheridge, Samuel (1788–1864)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Etheridge, Samuel Michigan state senators People from Coldwater, Michigan 1788 births 1864 deaths Michigan Jacksonians People from Adams, Massachusetts People from Frankfort, New York Politicians from Herkimer County, New York People from Quincy, Michigan 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature