Samuel Whittlesey Dana (February 13, 1760July 21, 1830) was an American lawyer and politician from
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...
. He represented
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
in both the
U.S. House of Representatives and
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
.
Biography
Born in
Wallingford in the
Connecticut Colony
The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritans, Puritan congregation o ...
, Dana matriculated at
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
in 1771 at the age of 11 and graduated in 1775 at the age of 15. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1778, and practiced in
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...
.
Family
His father was the clergyman James Dana (1735–1812), who was a nephew of
Richard Dana (1699–1772), a lawyer. Richard Dana was, in turn, a descendant through Caleb, the second son of Daniel, who was the youngest son of Richard Dana. The latter Richard Dana came from
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, settled in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
in 1640, and died there around 1695. According to family tradition, this Richard Dana was the son of a French
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
who settled in England in 1629.
On July 13, 1821, Dana married Mary (or Maria) Pomeroy Alsop, the widow of the poet Richard Alsop. Maria was the daughter of Eleazer Wheelock Pomeroy and Mary Wyllys. Her brother, Samuel Wyllys Pomeroy, was the founder of the town of Pomeroy, Ohio, which was developed with the help of his son-in-law, Valentine Baxter Horton. Valentine Baxter Horton married Clara Alsop Pomeroy, who was a niece-by-marriage of Mr. Dana. The bimetalist Samuel Dana Horton was named after Mr. Dana, who was Valentine Baxter Horton's law tutor.
Career
Dana was a member of the
Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. The ...
from 1789 to 1796, and unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1793. Afterward he was elected to 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 ...
to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
Uriah Tracy, and served from January 3, 1797 to May 10, 1810. There he was chairman of the
U.S. House Committee on Elections, and was one of the
impeachment managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1798 to conduct the
impeachment
Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements.
In Eur ...
proceedings against
William Blount, a Senator from Tennessee.
Dana was elected as a
Federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of deep ...
in 1810 to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
James Hillhouse. He was reelected in 1814 and served from December 4, 1810, to March 3, 1821. He was one of the 13 Senators who voted against war with Britain on June 17, 1812, but 19 Senators voted for war. In 1814, Dana was elected a member of the
American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...
.
Dana was mayor of Middletown from 1822 until his death in 1830. He was also the presiding judge of the
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
County Court from 1825 until his death.
Death
Dana died in Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut on July 21, 1830 (age 70 years, 158 days). He is interred at Washington Street Cemetery, Middletown.
''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''
/ref>
References
External links
* American National Biography
* Dictionary of American Biography
The ''Dictionary of American Biography'' (DAB) was a multi-volume dictionary published in New York City by Charles Scribner's Sons under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS).
History
The dictionary was first propo ...
* Dana, Samuel Whittlesey resumed author ''A Specimen of Republican Institutions''. Philadelphia: James Humphreys, 1802.
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Profile
Govtrack.us. Accessed March 29, 2024.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dana, Samuel W.
1760 births
1830 deaths
19th-century mayors of places in Connecticut
People from Wallingford, Connecticut
United States senators from Connecticut
Federalist Party United States senators
Mayors of Middletown, Connecticut
Yale College alumni
Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut
People from colonial Connecticut
19th-century United States senators
19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
Candidates in the 1793 United States elections