Edward Wemple (October 23, 1843 in Fultonville,

Montgomery County, New York Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,532. The county seat is Fonda. The county was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 17 ...

– December 18, 1920 in Fultonville,

) was an American businessman and

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 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 * '' ...

Life

Wemple attended the public schools in Fultonville and Ashland Academy, and graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

in 1866. Then he studied law for a time and engaged in the foundry business in partnership with his two brothers. In 1868 he married Adelaide F. Groat (1844-1895), and the couple had six children. He was President of the Village of Fultonville in 1873, and Supervisor of the Town of

Glen A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

from 1874 to 1876. He was 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 ...

(Montgomery Co.) in 1877 and

1878 Events January–March * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Battle o ...

. Wemple 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

48th United States Congress The 48th 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, 1883, ...

, holding office from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1885. In Congress he worked to secure funding for the Saratoga Monument commemorating the

Battles of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...

. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(18th D.) in 1886 and

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

. He was

New York State Comptroller The New York State Comptroller is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the New York state government's Department of Audit and Control. The New York State Comptroller is the highest-paid state auditor or ...

from 1888 to 1891, elected at the New York state election, 1887 and the

New York state election, 1889 The 1889 New York state election was held on November 5, 1889, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer and a judge of the New York Court of Appeals, as well as all ...

. On November 13, 1895, he was arrested on charges of

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

. He had burned down his own foundry, after it had been sold at an

assignee An assignment is a legal term used in the context of the law of contract and of property. In both instances, assignment is the process e whereby a person, the ''assignor'', transfers rights or benefits to another, the ''assignee''.For the assig ...

's sale, and several other buildings in and around Fultonville. On December 2, he was pronounced

insane Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...

, taken to the Utica Insane Asylum, and later transferred to the Middletown State Hospital. On August 13, 1909, he was released from Middletown Asylum, and taken home to Fultonville. He died on December 18, 1920; and was buried at the Maple Avenue Cemetery in Fultonville.

Sources

Pronounced insane, in ''The New York Times'' on December 3, 1895
''WEMPLE OUT OF ASYLUM''
in NYT on August 14, 1909

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wemple, Edward 1843 births 1920 deaths Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly New York State Comptrollers Democratic Party New York (state) state senators People from Fultonville, New York Town supervisors in New York (state) Union College (New York) alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)