Ezra Scollay Stearns (1838–1915) was an American historian, genealogist, and politician. He was Secretary of State for New Hampshire for twelve years, and for five years a member of the House of Representatives of that state.

Early life

Ezra Scollay Stearns was born at Rindge, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, on September 1, 1838. He received a common-school education in his native town, and subsequently pursued abroad a thorough course of study. From 1858 to 1862 he was an instructor in the Chester Institute, Chester, New Jersey. Returning to Rindge, he devoted himself to study, was connected with prominent publishing firms in Boston, New York and Philadelphia, and in 1876 and 1877 was manager and editor-in-chief of the ''

Chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...

'' at Fitchburg, Massachusetts.White, ed. 1901, p. 480.

Politics

Stearns came of age at about the time the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

was organized, and he soon became prominent as one of the stanchest members. In 1864 he was elected a member of the House of Representatives, and was re-elected in 1865–66–67 and in 1870, serving on the committees on judiciary, railroads, elections, and education, being chairman of the last two committees. He was one of the commissioners appointed by Governor

Smyth Smyth is an early variant of the common surname Smith commonly found in Ireland.Citation: Bardsley, 1901 Shown below are notable people who share the surname "Smyth". Notable people sharing the Smyth surname Listed here are people who share the ...

in 1866 for ascertaining the war expenses of every city and town in New Hampshire, and at the June session submitted a report to the Governor. He was chairman of a special committee to take this report into consideration, and through his efforts the committee decided not to recommend the assumption of the town and city debt by the state, which decision the House sustained. Stearns was moderator of Rindge for twenty years and was elected Republican state senator in 1886. In the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

of 1887 he was chairman of committee on revision of laws, and member of committee on judiciary elections and agriculture. He was re-elected to the Senate of 1889, and was chairman of committee on revision of laws, and member of committee on banks, manufactures, claims, and on towns and parishes. In 1890 he was elected to the House of Representatives, and made chairman of committee on railroads. By joint convention of the two branches of the legislature he was elected Secretary of State for New Hampshire, and in March, 1891, he resigned his seat in the House and entered the office of Secretary of State. According to '' The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography'', "Stearns took up its work with an accurate knowledge of its varied duties and familiarity with the state archives. His administration presents unqualified evidence of efficiency and popular approval."

Writing

In 1876, Stearns published the ''History of Rindge'' and in 1887 the ''History of Ashburnham'', both of which were well received throughout New England, and entitled him to a foremost rank among local historians. He was a resident member of the New Hampshire Historical Society, and an honorary member of several kindred societies in other states. For many years he manifested a lively interest in genealogy and in local history, contributed many excellent sketches and addresses to the literature of those subjects. According to the ''Cyclopaedia'', "His literary style is graceful and terse, and as a speaker he is both clear and persuasive. His manner is courteous and unassuming, and he has the gift of making friends and keeping them." The degree of A.M. was conferred upon him by

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1887.

Death

Stearns died at his home in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on March 9, 1915, at the age of seventy-six after a prolonged illness following a general breakdown.''The Meriden Daily Journal'' 03-09-1915. n.p. He was buried in his native town of Rindge, New Hampshire on March 11. As a mark of respect to his memory flags on Ingalls Library and other public buildings were at half mast.''Fitchburg Daily Sentinel'' 03-12-1915. p. 5. The following sonnet, which was written by Herbert Ingalls, a friend and former fellow-townsman of Stearns, was printed by the '' Fitchburg Daily Sentinel'' to mark the occasion:

References

Sources
"Ezra S. Stearns"
''Fitchburg Daily Sentinel''. Tuesday, March 9, 1915. p. 4.
"Ezra S. Stearns Dies"
''Fall River Evening News''. Tuesday, March 9, 1915. p. 8.
"Ezra Stearns Dead"
''

The Meriden Daily Journal The ''Record-Journal'' is an American daily newspaper based in Meriden, Connecticut, that dates back to the years immediately following the American Civil War. It is owned by the Record-Journal Publishing Company, a family-owned business entit ...

''. Tuesday, March 9, 1915. n.p.
"At Rest in Rindge"
''Fitchburg Daily Sentinel''. Friday, March 12, 1915. p. 5.
"Memorial for Ezra S. Stearns"
''Fitchburg Daily Sentinel''. Thursday, March 16, 1915. p. 2.
"Adopt Memorial to Ezra Stearns"
''Fitchburg Daily Sentinel''. Thursday, April 22, 1915. p. 2.
"Intimate Side of Life Given"
''Fitchburg Daily Sentinel''. Friday, April 23, 1915. p. 1.
"Intimate Sketch of Ezra Stearns"
''Fitchburg Daily Sentinel''. Tuesday, August 10, 1915. p. 7. Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stearns, Ezra Scollay 1838 births 1915 deaths Republican Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives 19th-century American historians Secretaries of state of New Hampshire People from Rindge, New Hampshire