Elisha Reynolds Potter (June 20, 1811 – April 10, 1882) was a politician, jurist and historian from

Kingston, Rhode Island Kingston is a village and a census-designated place within the New England town, town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, South Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and the site of the main ...

. He was a justice of the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by the Judicial No ...

, and served one term in the

United States 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Biography

Elisha Reynolds Potter Jr. was born in Little Rest (now Kingston), Rhode Island on June 20, 1811. His father

Elisha Reynolds Potter Elisha Reynolds Potter (November 5, 1764September 26, 1835) was a statesman in the Federalist Party from Kingston, Rhode Island, who served several times as the Speaker in the Rhode Island State Assembly. Personal life Elisha Reynolds Potte ...

Sr. was a lawyer who served in Congress. He attended Kingston Academy and graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1830. He studied law while teaching school, was admitted to the bar in 1832 and practiced in South Kingstown Township. From 1835 to 1836 Potter was adjutant general of the state militia. He served in the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1838 to 1840. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1841 to 1842. In 1842 Potter was elected as a

Law and Order Party Law and Order Party as a proper name may refer to: * Law and Order Party of Rhode Island, a short-lived political party in the U.S. state of Rhode Island in the 1840s * Law and Order Party (Kansas), a pro-slavery party in Kansas during the Bleeding ...

candidate to the Twenty-eighth Congress, and he served one term, March 4, 1843 to March 3, 1845. During his term he was Chairman of the Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1844 to the Twenty-ninth Congress. Potter served in the

Rhode Island State Senate The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of w ...

from 1847 to 1852, and again from 1861 to 1863. He was the state commissioner of public schools from 1849 to 1854. On March 16, 1868 Potter became an associate justice of the

, and he served until his death. He died in Kingston on April 10, 1882 and was buried in the Colonel Thomas Potter Cemetery in South Kingstown. Potter was a prolific author of Rhode Island history. Potter's notes and correspondence now held by the Rhode Island Historical Society "may be the best collection in the holdings of the Manuscripts Division for research on either the Dorr Rebellion or early 19th-century Rhode Island politics, including Rhode Island's role in the major national issues of the day and presidential policy-making." Potter's personally annotated copy of the printed draft of what would become the Constitution of Rhode Island is generally regarded as the best extant record, beyond the bare official minutes, of the proceedings of the 1842 constitutional convention.

References

External links

Biography, Elisha Reynolds Potter, Jr.
at ''Elisha Reynolds Potter, Jr. Papers, Rhode Island Historical Society''. 1999. {{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Elisha Reynolds 1811 births 1882 deaths Rhode Island state court judges Members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island Harvard University alumni People from South Kingstown, Rhode Island Law and Order Party of Rhode Island politicians Law and Order Party of Rhode Island members of the United States House of Representatives Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court 19th-century American politicians Rhode Island state senators 19th-century American judges

Biography

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References

External links