Samuel Lilly (October 28, 1815 – April 3, 1880) was an American Democratic Party politician, who represented 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 ...

for one term from 1853 to 1855.

Early life and career

Samuel Lilly was born on October 28, 1815, in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

. He moved to

Lambertville, New Jersey Lambertville is a city (New Jersey), city within Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 4,139, an increase of 233 (+6.0%) from the 3,906 reco ...

, in 1829. He attended P. O. Studdiford's classical school. He graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine The Perelman School of Medicine (commonly known as Penn Med) is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private, Ivy League research university located in Philadelphia. Founded in 1765, the Perelman School of M ...

on March 31, 1837.

Career

After graduating, Lilly practiced medicine in Lambertville. He was elected as the first Mayor of Lambertville, New Jersey serving in office from 1849 to 1852. Lilly was elected as a Democrat to the

Thirty-third Congress The 33rd 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, 1853, ...

, serving in office from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855. In Congress, he was chairman of the committee on expenditures in the Post Office Department. Lilly served as director of the

Board of Chosen Freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the ...

Hunterdon County Hunterdon County is a County (United States), county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county was the state's List of counties in New Jersey, 4th-least populous ...

for eight years, and was brigadier general of the New Jersey Militia. He was appointed by President

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

as consul general of the United States to

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, with residence in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

, from January 3, 1861, and served until July 4, 1862, when he resigned. Lilly was judge of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

of Hunterdon County from 1868–1873, and was one of the members of the board of managers of the New Jersey Insane Asylum in 1871. He was a judge of the

New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals Prior to 1947, the structure of the judiciary in New Jersey was extremely complex, including Court of Errors and Appeals in the last resort in all causes. The Court of Errors and Appeals was the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey from ...

, then the state's highest court, and also a member of the State board of pardons from 1873 until his death in Lambertville on April 3, 1880. He was president of the New Jersey Medical Society and the District Medical Society of Hunterdon County. He was commissioner of the New Jersey Lunatic Asylum.

Personal life

Lilly married his first wife in October 1839. He married his second wife on February 12, 1860. Both of his wives predeceased him. Lilly died on April 3, 1880, in Lambertville. He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in Lambertville.

References

External links

Samuel Lilly
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lilly, Samuel 1815 births 1880 deaths 19th-century American diplomats Mayors of places in New Jersey County commissioners in New Jersey New Jersey state court judges People from Lambertville, New Jersey Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Politicians from Geneva, New York Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Physicians from New Jersey 19th-century New Jersey state court judges 19th-century American physicians 19th-century mayors of places in New Jersey 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives