George Bliss (November 16, 1793 – April 19, 1873) was an American businessman and politician and served as

Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives This is a list of speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through ...

and

President of the Massachusetts Senate The president of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. Unlike the United States Congress, in which the vice president of the United States is the ''ex officio'' president of the United States Senate, in Massachusetts, the president of ...

Early life

Bliss, the eldest son of Hon. George Bliss, by his first wife, Hannah, (daughter of Dr. John Clark, of Lebanon, Conn), was born in

Springfield, Mass Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

., November 16, 1793.

Education

Bliss graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1812.

Early legal career

Upon graduation from

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

he entered his father's law office to read the law and study for the Massachusetts Bar Examination, and on being admitted to practice, in September 1815, established himself in Monson, Mass., where he remained for 7 years. He then returned to Springfield, entering into partnership with Jonathan Dwight Jr., whose daughter Mary he married in April 1825. In 1827 he entered public life as a member of the House of Representatives of Mass., and was re-elected in 1828, 1829 and 1853, serving in the last instance as Speaker; he was also chosen a member (and President) of the

Massachusetts State Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

in 1835. Among many public enterprises which occupied Bliss' attention, the chief was his bringing the Western Railroad, between

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

and Albany, to a successful completion. On retiring from the Presidency of this road, in 1846, Bliss visited Europe, and after his return became interested in other railroad schemes, chiefly at the West, in conducting which he gained an enviable reputation. In May 1860, Bliss withdrew from all active business. Bliss died in Springfield, April 19, 1873, in his 80th year. His wife died a few years before him. Of their three children, one died in infancy, and a son and daughter survived him.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bliss, George 1793 births 1873 deaths Speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Presidents of the Massachusetts Senate Yale College alumni Massachusetts lawyers American railroad executives 19th-century American politicians People from Springfield, Massachusetts People from Monson, Massachusetts 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American businesspeople