Amasa Dana

Amasa Dana (October 19, 1792 – December 24, 1867) was an American lawyer and politician who served two non-consecutive terms as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1839 to 1841, and from 1843 to 1845.

Amasa Dana
From 1904's Initial Ithacans by Thomas W. Burns
Member of the
United States House of Representatives
from New York
In office
March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845
Preceded byFrancis Granger
Succeeded bySamuel S. Ellsworth
Constituency26th district
In office
March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841
Preceded byHiram Gray
Succeeded byLewis Riggs
Constituency22nd district
Personal details
Born(1792-10-19)October 19, 1792
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
DiedDecember 24, 1867(1867-12-24) (aged 75)
Ithaca, New York
Resting placeIthaca City Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
ProfessionAttorney
Judge

Biography

Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Dana was the son of Aziel Dana and Rebecca (Cory) Dana.[1] He attended private schools and Dana Academy in Wilkes-Barre,[1] studied law with his uncle Eleazer Dana in Owego, New York, attained admission to the bar in 1817 and practiced in Owego.[2][3]

Political career

Dana moved to Ithaca, New York in 1821 and continued the practice of law.[2] He served as district attorney of Tompkins County from 1823 to 1837.[4] He served as member of the New York State Assembly in 1828 and 1829.[4] He served as president and trustee of the village of Ithaca in 1835, 1836, and 1839.[4]

In 1837, Dana was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Tompkins County.[4] He was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841).[4] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1840, and resumed the practice of law. From 1842 to 1843, Dana served as Ithaca's town supervisor.[4]

Tenure in Congress

Dana was elected to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845).[4] During this term, he served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy.[5] He resumed practicing law, and also engaged in banking and business, including serving as president of the Tompkins County National Bank.[6] He died in Ithaca, New York, on December 24, 1867.[4] He was interred in Ithaca City Cemetery.[7]

Family

In 1828, Dana married Mary Harper Speed, the daughter of Doctor Joseph Speed of Caroline, New York.[8] They had no children.[9]

References
  1. Initial Ithacans, p. 35.
  2. Initial Ithacans, p. 38.
  3. Owego: Some Account of the Early Settlement of the Village in Tioga County, pp. 112–113.
  4. Initial Ithacans, p. 36.
  5. Congressional Directory for the First Session of the Twenty-Eighth Congress, p. 50.
  6. Report of the Comptroller of the Currency, p. 204.
  7. Who Was Who In America, p. 134.
  8. Records and Memorials of the Speed Family, p. 40.
  9. Records and Memorials of the Speed Family, p. 41.

Sources

Books
  • Burns, Thomas W. (1904). Initial Ithacans. Ithaca, NY: Ithaca Journal.
  • Force, William Q. (1843). Congressional Directory for the First Session of the Twenty-Eighth Congress. Washington, DC: W. Q. Force.
  • Kingman, Leroy Wilson (1907). Owego: Some Account of the Early Settlement of the Village in Tioga County. Owego, NY: Owego Gazette.
  • Marquis, A. N. (1963). Who Was Who In America. Chicago, IL: Marquis Who's Who, Incorporated.
  • Speed, Thomas (1892). Records and Memorials of the Speed Family. Louisville, KY: Courier-Journal Job Printing Company.
  • U.S. Comptroller of the Currency (1867). Report of the Comptroller of the Currency. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

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