David Safford Walbridge (July 30, 1802 – June 15, 1868) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Walbridge was born in Bennington, Vermont, where he attended the common schools. He moved to New York in 1820 and engaged in mercantile and agricultural pursuits at Geneseo from 1820 to 1826 and at Jamestown from 1826 to 1842. Then he moved to

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

, in 1842 and again engaged in mercantile pursuits as well as becoming a large landowner and stock raiser. Walbridge was a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives in 1848 and served from 1849 to 1850 in the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

. He served as permanent chairman of the first Republican State convention held July 6, 1854, at

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approxi ...

. In 1854, he defeated incumbent Democrat Samuel Clark to be elected as a Republican from Michigan's 3rd congressional district to the

34th United States Congress The 34th 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, 1855, ...

. He was re-elected to the

35th Congress The 35th 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, 1857, ...

, serving from March 4, 1855, to March 3, 1859. On August 27, 1856, Abraham Lincoln visited Kalamazoo to take part in a campaign rally for

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. Congress was in session, so Walbridge was in Washington, D.C. In his absence, his wife Eliza Taggart Walbridge, acted as a hostess, providing tea for Lincoln and Zachariah Chandler. This was recalled by Lincoln in a letter he wrote to Chandler four years later. David S. Walbridge later resumed his former pursuits and was also appointed by President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

to serve as postmaster of

. He died there and was interred in Mountain Home Cemetery.

References

David S. Walbridge
at The Political Graveyard {{DEFAULTSORT:Walbridge, David Safford 1802 births 1868 deaths 19th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Michigan postmasters Republican Party Michigan state senators Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan