Moses Dow

Moses Dow (Feb 17, 1747 – March 31, 1811) was a New Hampshire politician, judge, and military officer in the American Revolutionary War.[1] Dow was elected to the Congress of the Confederation in 1784 but did not assume office due to poor health.[2]

Biography

Dow was born in 1747 in Haverhill, New Hampshire, the son of John Dow and Mehitable Haines.[3] In 1769, he married Phebe Emerson in Haverhill. They had nine children.[4] The same year, he graduated from Harvard College after studying law.[5]

Public service

Dow served in the Revolutionary War,[6] achieving the commission of brigadier general in the New Hampshire Militia.[7][8] Dow also served in the commonwealth as the first postmaster of Haverhill. From 1774 to 1804, he was the appointed solicitor of Grafton County, New Hampshire. In 1784 and 1785, he was appointed as a justice of the peace for Grafton County, Rockingham County, and Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, by President of New Hampshire Meshech Weare[9][10][11] and subsequently elected as a member of the New Hampshire Senate, defeating Jonathan Freeman, who would later defeat him in a rematch.[5]

In 1784, Dow was elected to the Congress of the Confederation, but he wrote to Weare declining the position due to poor health at the time.[12] In 1785, he was appointed by Weare to serve as a member of the Executive Council of New Hampshire. From 1792 to 1793, Dow served as the sixth president of the New Hampshire Senate.[13] In 1797, he was elected as a Governor's Councillor for Grafton County, New Hampshire.[14] Dow's last position held was as judge of the New Hampshire Court of Common Pleas, serving from 1808 until his death in 1811.[5]

Death

Dow died on March 31, 1811, at the age of 64. He is interred at Ladd Street Cemetery in Haverhill.[3]

Further reading

References
  1. Dodge, Andrew R.; Koed, Betty K., eds. (2005). "Delegates in the Continental Congress" (PDF). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–2005. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 34–38. ISBN 0-16-073176-3. Retrieved May 6, 2019 – via Internet Archive, September 17, 2008.
  2. Burnett, Edward Cody (1941). The Continental Congress. New York, New York: Macmillan Company.
  3. "Moses Dow (1747-1811) - Find a Grave Memorial". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  4. "Individual Page". wc.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  5. Papers of Moses Dow, ca. 1780-1811. Dartmouth College Library. WorldCat Record ID: 237352435
  6. Gabriele Esposito, Armies of Early Colonial North America, 1607–1713 History, Organization and Uniforms (Pen & Sword Books, 2018)
  7. "Page 1 Revolutionary War Pensions". Fold3. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  8. "Page 1 Revolutionary War Service Records". Fold3. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  9. "Justice of the Peace appointments for Grafton County, NH, 1784 December 25". New Hampshire Historical Society. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  10. "Justice of the Peace appointments for Rockingham County, NH, 1785 March 25". New Hampshire Historical Society. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  11. "Justice of the Peace appointments for Hillsborough County, NH, 1785 March 24". New Hampshire Historical Society. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  12. "Letter from Moses Dow to Meshech Weare, 1784 October 4". New Hampshire Historical Society. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  13. Jenks, George E. (1866), Political Journal for the State of New Hampshire 1867, Concord, New Hampshire: McFarland and Jenks, p. 44.
  14. "A New Nation Votes". elections.lib.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
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