Alexander Contee Hanson (February 27, 1786April 23, 1819) was an American lawyer, publisher, and statesman. He represented the third district of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in the

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, and the state of Maryland in the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Early life

Alexander Contee Hanson was born in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, on February 27, 1786, the second son of

Alexander Contee Hanson, Sr. Alexander Contee Hanson Sr. (October 22, 1749 – January 16, 1806) was an attorney who served as Chancellor of Maryland from 1789 until his death.William J. Marbury,The High Court of Chancery and the Chancellors of Maryland, Report of the Tenth A ...

(1749-1806) and Rebecca Howard (ca. 1760–1806). His older brother, Charles W. Hanson, later became a judge in Baltimore. His younger sister, Mary Jane Hanson (1791–1815), was married to

Thomas Peabody Grosvenor Thomas Peabody Grosvenor (December 20, 1778 – April 24, 1817) was a United States representative from New York. Early life Thomas Peabody Grosvenor was born on December 20, 1778 in Pomfret, Connecticut. He was the son of Seth Grosvenor ...

(1778–1817), a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from New York. He attended local private schools and graduated from St. John's College in Annapolis in 1802.

Family

He was the grandson of

John Hanson John Hanson ( – November 15, 1783) was an American Founding Father, merchant, and politician from Maryland during the Revolutionary Era. In 1779, Hanson was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress after serving in a variety o ...

(1721–1783), a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

who signed the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...

and served as the 9th

President of the Continental Congress The president of the United States in Congress Assembled, known unofficially as the president of the Continental Congress and later as the president of the Congress of the Confederation, was the presiding officer of the Continental Congress, the ...

, and Jane Contee (1726–1812), herself the granddaughter of

Thomas Brooke, Jr. Colonel (United Kingdom), Colonel Thomas Brooke Jr. of Brookefield (1660 – 1731) was President of the Council in Maryland and acting 13th Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland. He was the son of Major (United Kingdom), Major Th ...

(1660–1730). Through his paternal grandmother's brother,

Thomas Contee Thomas Contee (–1811) of "Brookefield", near Nottingham, Prince George's County, Maryland, was an American patriot who held the rank of colonel, militia man, politician, planter. Early life Thomas Contee was born at "Brookefield" in Prince Ge ...

(1729-1793), he was related to

Benjamin Contee Benjamin Contee (1755 – November 30, 1815) was an American Episcopal priest and statesman from Maryland. He was an officer in the American Revolutionary War, a delegate to the Confederation Congress, and member of the first United States ...

(1755–1815) and

Thomas Contee Worthington Thomas Contee Worthington (November 25, 1782 – April 12, 1847) was an American politician who served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Maryland. Early life Thomas Contee Worthington was born on Nov ...

(1782–1847),

William Grafton Delaney Worthington Hon. William Grafton Delaney Worthington IV (1785–1856) was an American lawyer, judge and state Governor, and Secretary of the Territory of East Florida. Early life William was born in 1785, the son of William Worthington (1747–1820) and Sar ...

(1785–1856), and

Walter Brooke Cox Worthington Walter Brooke Cox Worthington (September 19, 1795 - 1845) was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates. Early life Walter Brooke Cox Worthington was born September 19, 1795 at "The Valley", near Nottingham, Maryland. He was the son of William ...

(1795–1845). His cousin, Rebecca Thomas (1777-1814), was married to another cousin,

Alexander Contee Magruder Alexander Contee Magruder (c. 1779–1853) was a Maryland politician and judge. He served as a member of the Governor's Council from 1812 to 1815.

(c. 1779–1853).Archives of Maryland page for Alexander Contee Magruder

Career

He proceeded to study law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Annapolis. He was a delegate to the Maryland State Convention of 1788, to vote whether Maryland should ratify the proposed

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

. From 1811 to 1815, he served as a member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

.Eisenberg, Gerson G. ''Marylanders Who Served the Nation: A Biographical Dictionary of Federal Officials from Maryland''. Annapolis: The Maryland State Archives, 1992.

''Federal Republican''

Hanson launched the ''Federal Republican and Commercial Gazette'' in Baltimore in 1808 and merged it with another publication the following year. The ''Federal Republican'' was known as one of the nation's most extreme

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

newspapers. On June 22, 1812, four days after the beginning of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, a mob that was irritated by his articles denouncing the administration destroyed his office. On July 28, he reissued the paper from another building, where he was joined by a group of armed allies. When that building was besieged by a mob, Hanson and his group fired, killing two. On the morning of July 29, Hanson and his group surrendered to Mayor Edward Johnson, who had come to personally defuse the situation, and were escorted to jail. That evening, the mob stormed the jail, and Hanson was beaten and left for dead.

James M. Lingan James McCubbin Lingan (May 15, 1751 – July 28, 1812) was an officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and subsequently a senior officer in the Maryland State Militia. He was taken prisoner at Fort Washington early ...

, a military officer who came to Hanson's defense, died as a result of the violence. Hanson also received help from Revolutionary War Hero and father of Robert E. Lee,

Henry Lee III Henry Lee III (January 29, 1756 – March 25, 1818) was an early American Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot and U.S. politician who served as the ninth Governor of Virginia and as the Virginia United States House of Representatives, Repres ...

, who received grave injuries. Another man John Thompson recounts being tarred and feathered by the mob and stated that the rioters brought a field gun to besiege Hanson's house, although the arrival of the mayor and other city officials stopped it from being fired. Hanson moved the paper to

Georgetown, D.C. Georgetown is a historic neighborhood, and commercial and entertainment district located in Northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751 in the Province of Maryland, the port of Georgetown predated the establi ...

, where he published it unmolested. Hanson later moved to

Elkridge, Maryland Elkridge is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Howard County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,593 at the 2010 census. Founded early in the 18th century, Elkridge is adjacent to two other counties, An ...

United States Congress

In 1812, Hanson was elected as a Federalist representing the third district to the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1813, until his resignation in 1816. Hanson 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 ...

in 1815. He was an unsuccessful candidate in 1816 for election to the

, but was elected as a Federalist to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Robert Goodloe Harper Robert Goodloe Harper (January 1765January 14, 1825), was an American politician and a federalist. He was a member of the United States Senate from Maryland, serving from January 1816 until his resignation in December of the same year. He also ...

.Scharf, J. Thomas. Chronicles of Baltimore. Baltimore: Turnbull Brothers, 1874. Excerpts, pp. 312-338. He served as senator from December 20, 1816, until his own death on his estate, "Belmont", near

Personal life

On June 25, 1805, he was married to Priscilla Dorsey. They had many children, but only one lived to have heirs: * Charles Grosvenor Hanson (1815/6–1880), who married Annie Maria Worthington (1821–1873), daughter of

John Tolley Hood Worthington John Tolley Hood Worthington (November 1, 1788 – April 27, 1849) was a U.S. Representative from Maryland and a slaveholder. Early life John Tolley Hood Worthington was born on November 1, 1788, at "Shewan," near Baltimore, Maryland. He was th ...

(1788-1849), on April 16, 1840. He was interred in the family burial ground at his estate, Belmont.

Descendants

His grandchildren included Alexander Contee Hanson (1840–1857), Mary Worthington Hanson (1842–1863), John Worthington Hanson (1844–1916), Priscilla Hanson (1846–1925), Charles Edward Hanson (b. 1848), Murray Hanson (b. 1851), Samuel Contee Hanson (1854–1889), Grosvenor Hanson (1856–1916), Annie Maria "Nannie" Hanson (1858–1943), and Florence Contee Hanson (1860–1935).

References

External links

* Paul A. Gilje, "The Baltimore Riots of 1812 and the Breakdown of the Anglo-American Mob Tradition," ''Journal of Social History'' 13 (Summer 1980): 547–564.
PBS Documentary on The War of 1812

Baltimore Riot of 1812

a summary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, Alexander Contee 1786 births 1819 deaths United States senators from Maryland Members of the Maryland House of Delegates 19th-century American newspaper editors St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe) alumni Politicians from Annapolis, Maryland Federalist Party United States senators American people of English descent Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland People from Elkridge, Maryland Members of the American Antiquarian Society 19th-century American politicians Aides-de-camp of George Washington