George Washington Lay (July 26, 1798 – October 21, 1860) was an American politician and diplomat who served as 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 ...
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
* '' ...
and
Charge D'Affaires to Sweden.
Born in
Catskill, New York
Catskill is a town in the southeastern section of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,298 at the 2020 census, the largest town in the county. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park. The town contains a v ...
, Lay pursued classical studies and graduated in 1817 from
Hamilton College
Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
in
Clinton, New York. He studied law with
Phineas L. Tracy, attained
admission to the bar in 1820, and commenced practice with in
Batavia, New York
Batavia is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, New York, United States. It is near the center of the county, surrounded by the Town of Batavia, which is a separate municipality. Batavia's population as of the 2020 census was 15,6 ...
as Tracy's partner.
Lay served as Treasurer of
Genesee County from 1825 to 1831.
He was elected as an
Anti-Masonic Party
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 ...
candidate to the
Twenty-third Congress and reelected as an
Anti-Jacksonian
The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...
to the
Twenty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837). In 1835 he received the
honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
of
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
from
Yale University
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 wo ...
.
Lay later became a
Whig, and served as 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 ...
in 1840. He was
Charge D'Affaires to Sweden from May 12, 1842, to October 29, 1845.
He died in Batavia on October 21, 1860. He was interred in
Batavia Cemetery
Batavia Cemetery is located on Harvester Avenue in Batavia, New York, United States. It opened in 1823 and contains over 8,000 graves, mostly from the 19th century. In 2002 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first of t ...
.
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lay, George Washington
1798 births
1860 deaths
People from Greene County, New York
Anti-Masonic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
19th-century American politicians
New York (state) National Republicans
National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
New York (state) Whigs
Members of the New York State Assembly
Hamilton College (New York) alumni
New York (state) lawyers
19th-century American diplomats
Burials in New York (state)
People from Catskill, New York
19th-century American lawyers