Elisha Whittlesey
Encyclopedia
Elisha Whittlesey was a lawyer, civil servant and U.S. Representative
from Ohio
.
, Whittlesey moved with his parents in early youth to Salisbury, Connecticut
. He attended the common schools at Danbury, and studied law there.
He was admitted to the bar
of Fairfield County and practiced in Danbury and Fairfield County. He also practiced in New Milford, Connecticut
, in 1805.
He moved to Canfield, Ohio
, in 1806, where he practiced law and taught school.
He served as prosecuting attorney of Mahoning County.
He served as military and private secretary to Gen. William Henry Harrison
and as brigade
major
in the Army of the Northwest in the War of 1812
. He served as member of the Ohio House of Representatives
in 1820 and 1821.
Whittlesey was elected to the Eighteenth
through Twenty-second
Congresses, elected as an Anti-Masonic
candidate to the Twenty-third
Congress, and elected as a Whig
to the Twenty-fourth
and Twenty-fifth
Congresses and served from March 4, 1823, to July 9, 1838, when he resigned. He was one of the founders of the Whig Party.
He served as chairman of the Committee on Claims (Twenty-first
through Twenty-fifth Congresses).
He was Sixth Auditor of the Treasury from March 18, 1841, until December 18, 1843, when he resigned and resumed the practice of law in Canfield.
He was appointed general agent of the Washington Monument Association in 1847.
He was appointed by President Zachary Taylor
as First Comptroller of the Treasury and served from May 31, 1849, to March 26, 1857, when he was removed by President James Buchanan
.
He was reappointed by President Abraham Lincoln
April 10, 1861, and served until his death in Washington, D.C.
, January 7, 1863. He was interred in the Canfield Village Cemetery, Canfield, Ohio.
, and a cousin of Frederick Whittlesey
and Thomas Tucker Whittlesey.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Biography
Born in Washington, ConnecticutWashington, Connecticut
Washington is a rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. The population was 3,596 at the 2000 census. Washington is known for its picturesque countryside, historic architecture, and active civic and cultural life...
, Whittlesey moved with his parents in early youth to Salisbury, Connecticut
Salisbury, Connecticut
Salisbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwest-most in the State of Connecticut. The MA-NY-CT Tri-State Marker is located just on the border of Salisbury...
. He attended the common schools at Danbury, and studied law there.
He was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
of Fairfield County and practiced in Danbury and Fairfield County. He also practiced in New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in southern Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic River. It is the largest town in the state in terms of land area at nearly . The population was 28,671 according to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimates...
, in 1805.
He moved to Canfield, Ohio
Canfield, Ohio
Canfield is an affluent suburban city located in Mahoning County, Ohio,[United States, at the intersection of U.S. Route 224 and State Route 46/U.S. Route 62, about ten miles southwest of Youngstown. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 7,374. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman,...
, in 1806, where he practiced law and taught school.
He served as prosecuting attorney of Mahoning County.
He served as military and private secretary to Gen. William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
and as brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
in the Army of the Northwest in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. He served as member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
in 1820 and 1821.
Whittlesey was elected to the Eighteenth
18th United States Congress
The Eighteenth 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, 1823 to March 3, 1825, during the seventh and eighth...
through Twenty-second
22nd United States Congress
-House of Representatives:-Leadership:- Senate :* President:** John C. Calhoun , resigned December 28, 1832, thereafter vacant.* President pro tempore:** Samuel Smith , first elected December 5, 1831** Littleton W...
Congresses, elected as an Anti-Masonic
Anti-Masonic Party
The Anti-Masonic Party was the first "third party" in the United States. It strongly opposed Freemasonry and was founded as a single-issue party aspiring to become a major party....
candidate to the Twenty-third
23rd United States Congress
-House of Representatives:For the beginning of this congress, the size of the House was increased from 213 seats to 240 seats, following the 1830 United States Census .- Leadership :- Senate :* President: Martin Van Buren...
Congress, and elected as a Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
to the Twenty-fourth
24th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:During this congress one House seat was added for each of the new states of Arkansas and Michigan.-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Martin Van Buren * President pro tempore: William R. King - House of Representatives :...
and Twenty-fifth
25th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Richard Mentor Johnson * President pro tempore: William R. King - House of Representatives :* Speaker: James K. Polk -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
Congresses and served from March 4, 1823, to July 9, 1838, when he resigned. He was one of the founders of the Whig Party.
He served as chairman of the Committee on Claims (Twenty-first
21st United States Congress
-House of Representatives:-Leadership:- Senate :* President: John C. Calhoun * President pro tempore: Samuel Smith - House of Representatives :* Speaker: Andrew Stevenson -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
through Twenty-fifth Congresses).
He was Sixth Auditor of the Treasury from March 18, 1841, until December 18, 1843, when he resigned and resumed the practice of law in Canfield.
He was appointed general agent of the Washington Monument Association in 1847.
He was appointed by President Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
as First Comptroller of the Treasury and served from May 31, 1849, to March 26, 1857, when he was removed by President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
.
He was reappointed by President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
April 10, 1861, and served until his death in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, January 7, 1863. He was interred in the Canfield Village Cemetery, Canfield, Ohio.
Family
He was an uncle of William Augustus Whittlesey and Charles WhittleseyCharles Whittlesey (geologist)
Charles Whittlesey was a soldier, geologist and an investigator of mounds relics of the United States.-Biography:...
, and a cousin of Frederick Whittlesey
Frederick Whittlesey
Frederick Whittlesey was a U.S. Representative from New York, cousin of Elisha Whittlesey and Thomas Tucker Whittlesey.Born in New Preston, Connecticut, Whittlesey pursued academic studies....
and Thomas Tucker Whittlesey.