Elbridge Gerry (Maine politician)

Elbridge Gerry (December 6, 1813 – April 10, 1886) was an American lawyer, who served as a U.S. Congressman from Maine from 1849 to 1851.

For other people named Elbridge Gerry, see Elbridge Gerry (disambiguation).

Elbridge Gerry
From 1880's History of Cumberland Co., Maine.
Member of U.S. House of Representatives
from Maine's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851
Preceded byDavid Hammons
Succeeded byMoses Macdonald
Member of the Maine House of Representatives
In office
1846[1]–1847[1]
Preceded byJosiah Monroe[1]
Succeeded byJohn Hill[1]
Prosecuting Attorney for Oxford County
In office
1842–1845
Clerk of the Maine House of Representatives
In office
1840[2]–1841[2]
Preceded byGeorge Robinson[2]
Succeeded byGeorge C. Getchell[2]
Personal details
Born(1813-12-16)December 16, 1813
Waterford, Massachusetts (now Maine)
DiedApril 10, 1886(1886-04-10) (aged 72)
Portland, Maine
Resting placeEvergreen Cemetery, Portland, Maine
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseAnna St. Clair Jenness (m. 1849)
Children3
ProfessionAttorney

Biography

Gerry was born on December 6, 1813 in Waterford, Massachusetts (now in Maine); he was the son of Peter and Mary "Polly" (Cutler) Gerry.[3] He attended Bridgton Academy, and studied law with Judge Stephen Emery (who also served as Maine's Attorney General).[3] Gerry was admitted to the bar in 1839 and established a practice in Waterford.[3]

Gerry's father served in the Maine House of Representatives and in local offices including selectman and town meeting moderator.[1] Gerry also served in local offices in Waterford, including town clerk (1842-1843), and town meeting moderator (1847, 1852).[1]

He was clerk of the Maine House of Representatives in 1840, and was appointed a United States commissioner in bankruptcy in 1841.[3] From 1842 to 1845 he was prosecuting attorney for Oxford County.[3] In 1846 he served in the Maine House of Representatives, including holding the post of Speaker Pro tempore during the absence of Speaker Ebenezer Knowlton.[3]

He was elected to a single term in Congress as a Democrat in 1848, and served from March 4, 1849 to March 3, 1851.[3] He did not run for reelection in 1850, and moved to Portland to continue the practice of law.[3]

He died in Portland on April 10, 1886,[4] and was buried at Portland's Evergreen Cemetery.[5]

Family

In 1849, Gerry married Anna St. Clair Jenness, the daughter of Richard and Caroline Jenness of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.[3] They were the parents of three children: Alice, Elbridge, and Elizabeth.[3]

Alice Gerry (1850-1921) was the wife of Arthur Melville Patterson of Baltimore, Maryland.[3][6] After his death, she married John Stewart, the grandson of David Stewart.[6] After her 1913 divorce, she married Francis B. Griswold.[7]

Elbridge Gerry (1853-1907) graduated from Bowdoin College and Harvard Law School.[8] He practiced law in Maine and New York City before accepting appointment as vice consul in Le Havre, France in 1885.[8] He remained in Europe after resigning in 1887, and died in Siena, Italy.[8]

Elizabeth Jenness Gerry (1852-1912), was the wife of Greek diplomat Constantin Pangiris.[9]

Note

Many sources indicate that Elbridge Gerry (1813-1886) was the grandson of Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814).[5] This seems to be in error; the ancestry of Elbridge Gerry (1813-1886) can be traced to his father Peter (1776-1847);[10] Peter's father Nathaniel Gerry (or Geary) (1733-1791);[10] Nathaniel's father Thomas;[11] Nathaniel's grandfather, also named Thomas;[11] and Nathaniel's great-grandfather Thomas Gery (or Gary).[11]

References
  1. The History of Waterford, Oxford County, Maine.
  2. Maine State Year-book, and Legislative Manual for the Year 1876-67.
  3. History of Cumberland Co., Maine.
  4. "Death of Elbridge Gerry".
  5. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005.
  6. Some Account of Capt. John Frazier and His Descendants.
  7. "Wedding Tragedy".
  8. Obituary Record of the Graduates of Bowdoin College.
  9. "Mme. Pangiris Dies in Switzerland".
  10. Biographical Review: Oxford and Franklin Counties, Maine.
  11. Historic Homes and Places.

Sources

Books
  • Biographical Review: Oxford and Franklin Counties, Maine. Boston, MA: Biographical Review Publishing Company. 1897. p. 20. ISBN 9781934710173.
  • Bowdoin College (1911). Obituary Record of the Graduates of Bowdoin College and the Medical School of Maine. Brunswick, ME: Bowdoin College Library. p. 408.
  • Clayton, W. W. (1880). History of Cumberland Co., Maine. Philadelphia, PA: Everts & Peck. pp. 99–100.
  • Cutter, William Richard. Historic Homes and Places and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Vol. II. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 666–667.
  • Hoyt, Edmund S. (1876). Maine State Year-book, and Legislative Manual for the Year 1876-67. Portland, ME: Hoyt, Fogg & Donham. p. 85.
  • Leach, Josiah Granville (1910). Some Account of Capt. John Frazier and His Descendants. Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott Company. p. 96.
  • United States House of Representatives (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1112. ISBN 978-0-16-073176-1.
  • Warren, Henry Pelt (1879). The History of Waterford, Oxford County, Maine. Boston, MA: Hoyt, Fogg & Donham. pp. 208–212.

Newspapers
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