Elbridge Gerry (December 6, 1813 – April 10, 1886) was an American lawyer, who served as a U.S. Congressman from Maine from 1849 to 1851.

Biography

Gerry was born on December 6, 1813 in Waterford, Massachusetts (now in Maine); he was the son of Peter and Mary "Polly" (Cutler) Gerry. He attended Bridgton Academy, and studied law with Judge Stephen Emery (who also served as Maine's Attorney General). Gerry was admitted to the bar in 1839 and established a practice in Waterford. Gerry's father served in the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via p ...

and in local offices including selectman and town meeting

moderator Moderator may refer to: Government *Moderator (town official), elected official who presides over the Town Meeting form of government Internet *Internet forum#Moderators, Internet forum moderator, a person given special authority to enforce the ...

. Gerry also served in local offices in Waterford, including town clerk (1842-1843), and town meeting moderator (1847, 1852). He was clerk of the

in 1840, and was appointed a United States commissioner in bankruptcy in 1841. From 1842 to 1845 he was prosecuting attorney for Oxford County. In 1846 he served in the Maine House of Representatives, including holding the post of Speaker ''Pro tempore'' during the absence of Speaker Ebenezer Knowlton. He was elected to a single term in Congress as a Democrat in 1848, and served from March 4, 1849 to March 3, 1851. He did not run for reelection in 1850, and moved to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

to continue the practice of law. He died in Portland on April 10, 1886, and was buried at Portland's Evergreen Cemetery.

Family

In 1849, Gerry married Anna St. Clair Jenness, the daughter of Richard and Caroline Jenness of

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

. They were the parents of three children: Alice, Elbridge, and Elizabeth. Alice Gerry (1850-1921) was the wife of Arthur Melville Patterson of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, Maryland. After his death, she married John Stewart, the grandson of David Stewart. After her 1913 divorce, she married Francis B. Griswold. Elbridge Gerry (1853-1907) graduated from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

and

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

. He practiced law in Maine and New York City before accepting appointment as vice consul in Le Havre, France in 1885. He remained in Europe after resigning in 1887, and died in Siena, Italy. Elizabeth Jenness Gerry (1852-1912), was the wife of Greek diplomat Constantin Pangiris.

Note

Many sources indicate that Elbridge Gerry (1813-1886) was the grandson of

Elbridge Gerry Elbridge Gerry (; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 18 ...

(1744-1814). This seems to be in error; the ancestry of Elbridge Gerry (1813-1886) can be traced to his father Peter (1776-1847); Peter's father Nathaniel Gerry (or Geary) (1733-1791); Nathaniel's father Thomas; Nathaniel's grandfather, also named Thomas; and Nathaniel's great-grandfather Thomas Gery (or Gary).

References

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerry (Maine), Elbridge 1813 births 1886 deaths People from Waterford, Maine Maine lawyers Gerry family Politicians from Portland, Maine Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Portland, Maine) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine 19th-century American politicians