David Austin Starkweather (January 21, 1802 – July 12, 1876) was an American lawyer and politician who was 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

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and a U.S. diplomat. He served two non-consecutive terms in the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

in the mid-19th century and was United States Ambassador to Chile during the presidency of

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

Early life and career

Starkweather was born in Preston, Connecticut on January 21, 1802. 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 ...

and studied law with his brother in

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1825, establishing a practice in Mansfield, Ohio. He located in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

in 1828.

Political career

He was a judge in one of the higher courts in

Stark County, Ohio Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 374,853. Its county seat is Canton. The county was created in 1808 and organized the next year. It is named for John Stark, an officer in th ...

. He was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1833 to 1835, and a member of the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

from 1836 to 1838. He was a representative of the Democrats in Congress from Ohio from 1839 to 1841 and again from 1845 to 1847. In his first term, he was a member of the Committee on Roads and Canals, and a member of the Committee on Invalid Pensions the second term. He was chosen a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

in 1848 for Cass/

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

, Taylor 1899 : 255 and served as U.S. envoy to Chile from 1854 to 1857. He lost election to

Ohio's 18th congressional district The 18th congressional district of Ohio is an obsolete congressional district last represented by Republican Bob Gibbs. The district voted for the majority party in the House of Representatives in every election since 1954. After the 2010 cen ...

in 1860.

Death

Starkweather died of paralysis at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Brinsmade, in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, Ohio, July 12, 1876. He had three daughters and one son.

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Starkweather, David A. 1802 births 1876 deaths Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Democratic Party Ohio state senators 19th-century American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to Chile People from Preston, Connecticut Politicians from Canton, Ohio 1848 United States presidential electors Williams College alumni 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio