Asahel Huntington (July 28, 1798 – September 5, 1870) was an American politician who served as a

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

. Huntington was born in Topsfield, Massachusetts on July 23, 1798. His father was the Rev. Asahel Huntington, and his mother was Alethea, daughter of Dr. Elisha Lord, of Pomfret, Connecticut. Huntington was the brother of Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Elisha Huntington. Huntington graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1819. After leaving College, Huntington commenced his legal studies at

Newburyport Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...

, and after some interruptions completed them at Salem, Mass., where he was admitted to the bar in 1824. He continued in practice in Salem until 1851, when he was appointed clerk of all the courts in Essex County; this office he held till his death. He served the State repeatedly in the

Massachusetts Legislature The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, w ...

, and in the

Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 The Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 met from May 4 to August 2 in order to consider changes to the Massachusetts Constitution. This was the third such convention in Massachusetts history, following the original constitutional conve ...

, and in the same year was mayor of the city of Salem. He was also a longtime member of the Salem school board. He died in Salem on September 5, 1870, after a brief illness. On August 15, 1842, he married Caroline (Deblois) Tucker, of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, who survived him, with a son and daughter.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huntington, Asahel 1798 births 1870 deaths Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Mayors of Salem, Massachusetts Phillips Academy alumni Yale College alumni 19th-century American legislators District attorneys in Essex County, Massachusetts District attorneys in Middlesex County, Massachusetts