George Anson Starkweather (May 19, 1794 – October 15, 1879) was an American attorney and politician. He was most notable for his service as a

United States 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 ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, serving one term from 1847 to 1849.

Biography

Starkweather was born in Preston, Connecticut on May 19, 1794. He attended the local schools of Preston and worked on his father's farm until he began attendance at

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

. He graduated in 1819 and was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

. Starkweather taught school while studying law with his brother Samuel. He was admitted to the bar in 1823 and practiced in

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...

. Starkweather was active in the New York Militia for several years in the 1820s and served as

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, and

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the 12th Artillery Regiment prior to being discharged. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Starkweather was chairman of the party's Otsego County corresponding committee and a delegate to numerous county and state conventions. He was a delegate to the

1835 Democratic National Convention The 1835 Democratic National Convention was held from May 20 to May 22, 1835, in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the second presidential nominating convention held in the history of the Democratic Party, following the 1832 Democratic National Conven ...

, and was chosen to serve as the convention's secretary. In addition to his political activities, Starkweather was active in local government in Cooperstown and Otsego County. Among the positions he held were county

commissioner of deeds A Commissioner of Deeds is an officer having authority to take affidavits, depositions, acknowledgments of deeds, etc., for use in the state by which the person is appointed. The office is similar to that of Notaries Public; thus, commissioners o ...

, county surrogate judge,

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 ...

, and chairman of the county board of supervisors. In 1846, Starkweather was the successful Democratic nominee for a seat 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 ...

. He served in the

30th United States Congress The 30th 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, 1847, ...

(March 4, 1847 - March 3, 1849). During his term, Starkweather made a speech in opposition to extending slavery beyond the states in which it already existed, which was the subject of favorable mentions in the country's newspapers.

Later career and death

After leaving Congress, Starkweather resumed the practice of law. He later moved to

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, where he practiced law from 1853 to 1868. Starkweather died in Cooperstown on October 15, 1879. He was buried at Lakewood Cemetery in Cooperstown.

Family

In 1828, Starkweather married Elizabeth Georgiana Converse. They were the parents of 12 children: :John Converse :Elizabeth Georgiana (born and died in 1832) :George Anson :Augustus Converse :Elizabeth Georgiana (b. 1838) :William Henry :Frederick Tiffany :Charles Austin :Francis A. :Frank Morgan :Alexander Brachus :Edgar John Converse Starkweather was notable for his service as a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

officer in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Nebraska spree killer Charles Starkweather was his great-great grandson, through his son Frank Morgan Starkweather.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Starkweather, George 1794 births 1879 deaths Union College (New York) alumni People from Preston, Connecticut People from Cooperstown, New York Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians