Gamaliel Henry Barstow (July 20, 1784 – March 30, 1865) was a physician, an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician, a judge, and a

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 ...

for New York.

Biography

Barstow was born in

Sharon Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...

, Litchfield County, Connecticut. He married Nancy Coryell and they had three children, Elijah, Mary, and John. He studied medicine in Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Career

In 1812, Barstow moved to Tioga County, and there worked at his father's farm and taught school. Within a year he had become good friends with Judge Coryell (a powerful and influential figure in local politics) and by 1813 had married the Judges' daughter Nancy. He then built the first frame house in the town of Nichols, and opened a store at this location. Barstow 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 ...

(Tioga Co.) in

1816 This year was known as the ''Year Without a Summer'', because of low temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, possibly the result of the Mount Tambora volcanic eruption in Indonesia in 1815, causing severe global cooling, catastrophic in s ...

, 1816-17 and

1818 Events January–March * January 1 ** Battle of Koregaon: Troops of the British East India Company score a decisive victory over the Maratha Empire. ** Mary Shelley's ''Frankenstein'' is published anonymously in London. * January 2 – ...

. He was First Judge of the Tioga County Court from 1818 to 1823, and at the same time 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 ...

(Western D.) from 1819 to 1822, sitting in the

42nd 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

, 43rd, 44th and

45th New York State Legislature The 45th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to April 17, 1822, during the fifth year of DeWitt Clinton's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisi ...

s. By 1823, he was ready for a bigger house so he bought a parcel of land and built a magnificent two-story brick New England style home which now, 175 years later, houses the current establishment, The Barstow House Restaurant. He was again a member of the State Assembly in

1824 May 7: The almost completely deaf Beethoven premieres his Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) , Ninth Symphony Events January–March * January 8 – After much controversy, Michael Faraday is finally elected as a member of the Royal Society, ...

and

1827 Events January–March * January 5 – The first regatta in Australia is held, taking place on Tasmania (called at the time ''Van Diemen's Land''), on the River Derwent at Hobart. * January 15 – Furman University, founded in 1826, b ...

. He was

New York State Treasurer The New York State Treasurer was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1776 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the ...

from 1825 to 1826. In 1830, he was

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

of the Town of Nichols. Elected as an

Anti-Mason The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest third party in the United States. Formally a single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry, but later aspired to become a major party by expanding its platform to take positions on other issues. After ...

to the

22nd United States Congress The 22nd 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, 1831 ...

, Barstow was U.S. Representative for the twenty-fifth district of New York from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1833. In 1836, he was the Whig candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...

on the ticket with Jesse Buel, but they were defeated by the incumbent Governor Marcy and Lt. Gov. John Tracy. Barstow was again State Treasurer from 1838 to 1839. Afterwards he continued the practice of medicine and engaged in agricultural pursuits in Nichols, New York. Barstow died on March 30, 1865, in

Nichols Nichols may refer to: People *Nichols (surname) *Nichol, a surname Places Canada * Nichols Islands, Nunavut United States * Nichols, California, an unincorporated community * Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles, California * Nichols, Connecticut * Nic ...

, Tioga County, New York; and was buried at the Ashbury Cemetery there.

References

External links

''The New York Civil List'' compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 35, 201, 206, 257 and 365; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) (Google Books)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barstow, Gamaliel H 1784 births 1865 deaths People from Sharon, Connecticut American people of English descent New York (state) Democratic-Republicans Anti-Masonic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) New York (state) Whigs Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators New York State Treasurers People from Nichols, New York New York (state) state court judges 19th-century American judges