Samuel Holten (June 9, 1738 – January 2, 1816) was an American

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...

, physician, jurist, and politician from

Danvers, Massachusetts Danvers is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the beach ...

. Holten represented the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

as a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

, where he signed the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...

. After numerous roles at the state and national levels in the 1780s, Holten was elected to a term in

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

, serving from 1793 to 1794. He then was appointed judge in the local courts, a position he held for nearly two decades.

Biography

Holten was born in Salem Village (now Danvers) in the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of Eng ...

on June 9, 1738. After studying medicine under a local physician, he established a practice in nearby

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

. He soon returned to Danvers, where he continued practicing as a physician. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, Holten actively supported the Patriot cause, serving in the militia as a major in the First Essex County Regiment. He was a member of the

Massachusetts Provincial Congress The Massachusetts Provincial Congress (1774–1780) was a provisional government created in the Province of Massachusetts Bay early in the American Revolution. Based on the terms of the colonial charter, it exercised ''de facto'' control over th ...

from 1774 to 1775, at which point he was named to the Massachusetts Committee of Safety. Holten was appointed to the Continental Congress in 1778, when he signed the Articles of Confederation. He left the Congress in 1780 and then served in the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

for two years. From 1780 to 1782, Holten was also a member of the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...

, a role he repeated in eight of the next 14 years. In 1783, Holten was appointed to the

Congress of the Confederation The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States from March 1, 1781, until March 3, 1789, during the Confederation ...

, which under the Articles was the new nation's only branch of government. Near the end of his two years in the Congress, Holten served briefly as its chairman: ″His Excellency the president, being, by indisposition, prevented from attending the House, Congress proceeded to the election of a Chairman, and, the ballots being taken, the (honorable) Samuel Holten was elected.″ Judge Samuel Holten House

Holten returned to the state Senate in 1784, completing additional terms in 1786, 1789, and 1790. In between, in 1787, he served in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

and also returned to the Congress of the Confederation for another year. In 1788 and 1790, Holten was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2nd congressional district, and he was also an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1790; however, he was elected to represent the 1st district in 1792. After leaving the Congress, Holten was appointed judge of the Essex County Probate Court. He sat on the bench from 1796 until his resignation in 1815.

Death

Holten died in Danvers on January 2, 1816. He was buried at Holten Cemetery in Danvers.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holten, Samuel 1738 births 1816 deaths Continental Congressmen from Massachusetts Signers of the Articles of Confederation Members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts People from colonial Massachusetts 18th-century American physicians Massachusetts state senators Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Founding Fathers of the United States 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Candidates in the 1788–1789 United States elections Candidates in the 1790–1791 United States elections