Elisha Reynolds Potter (November 5, 1764September 26, 1835) was a statesman in the
Federalist Party from
Kingston, Rhode Island
Kingston is a village and a census-designated place within the town of South Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and the site of the main campus of the University of Rhode Island. The population was 6,974 at the 201 ...
, who served several times as the Speaker in the
Rhode Island State Assembly.
Personal life
Elisha Reynolds Potter was born in
Little Rest (now known as Kingston) in the
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and he resided there all his life
Elisha Reynolds House. He began his career as a
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...
's apprentice, but switched to the law in 1793.
Potter was said to be a very large man; when he traveled by
stagecoach, he had to purchase two seats.
Career
Potter ran against
Peleg Arnold
Peleg Arnold (1751–1820) was a lawyer, tavern-keeper, jurist, and statesman from Smithfield, Rhode Island (now North Smithfield). He represented Rhode Island as a delegate to the Continental Congress in the 1787–1788 session. He later serv ...
in a special election for the
U.S. House of Representatives in 1796 caused by
Benjamin Bourne's resignation, and Potter won the election. He served as a United States Congressman from 1796 to 1797 and again from 1809 to 1815.
He was elected a member of the
American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...
in 1815.
Potter ran for
governor of Rhode Island
The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...
in 1818,
but lost to
Nehemiah R. Knight
Nehemiah Rice Knight (December 31, 1780April 18, 1854) was Governor of Rhode Island and United States Senator from Rhode Island.
Born in Cranston, Rhode Island, Cranston, he attended the common schools. In 1802 he was a member of the Rhode Isla ...
.
His son, also
Elisha Reynolds Potter, was also a Congressman.
Elisha Reynolds Potter is buried in Colonel Thomas Potter Cemetery near Kingston, Rhode Island.
See also
*
Tavern Hall Preservation Society
The Tavern Hall Preservation Society is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation and upkeep of the Elisha Reynolds House (1738) in Kingston, Rhode Island. The society was founded as the Tavern Hall Club in 1911 to foster understa ...
External links
References
1764 births
1835 deaths
People from South Kingstown, Rhode Island
Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island
Members of the American Antiquarian Society
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