Bishop Perkins (September 5, 1787 in Becket, Massachusetts – November 20, 1866 in

Ogdensburg, New York Ogdensburg ( moh, Kaniatarahòn:tsi) is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 10,436 at the 2019 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and de ...

) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a

United States 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 ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

from 1853 to 1855.

Biography

He graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

in 1807. He studied law, and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1812, commencing practice in

Lisbon, New York Lisbon is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 4,102 at the 2010 census. By some accounts, the town is named after Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. However, the 1810 US Census for the town shows the town' ...

. He subsequently moved to

and continued the practice of law. He was clerk of the

board of supervisors A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York. There are equivalent agenc ...

St. Lawrence County St. Lawrence County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,505. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the Christian saint L ...

from 1820 to 1852, and was appointed

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

of St. Lawrence County on February 24, 1821, and served until May 21, 1840.

Political career

Perkins was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1846 and a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

in 1846, 1847, and again in 1849.

Congress

He was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Thirty-third Congress, serving from March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1854.

Later career and death

After leaving office, he returned to Ogdensburg, where he continued the practice of law until his death there in 1866, aged 79; interment was in Ogdensburg Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Bishop 1787 births 1866 deaths People from Becket, Massachusetts New York (state) lawyers Williams College alumni St. Lawrence County district attorneys People from Lisbon, New York Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Burials in New York (state) People from Ogdensburg, New York 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers