Harmon Hall (July 22, 1818 – June 30, 1891) was an American shoe manufacturer and politician who served in the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from th ...

and on the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Counc ...

Early life

Hall was born on July 22, 1818, in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

. When he was five his family moved to East Saugus, Massachusetts. He was educated in the Saugus Public Schools as well as the Lynn and New Market academies. He married Lucinda Atherton of

Goffstown, New Hampshire Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 18,577 at the 2020 census. The compact center of town, where 3,366 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goffst ...

. They had two children, Harmon and Susie.

Politics

Hall held numerous offices in Saugus, including town clerk, selectman, and town moderator. In 1861 he represented the 24th Essex District in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

. That same year, Governor

John Albion Andrew John Albion Andrew (May 31, 1818 – October 30, 1867) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He was elected in 1860 as the 25th Governor of Massachusetts, serving between 1861 and 1866, and led the state's contributions to ...

appointed Hall to the position of state prison inspector. In 1868 he was made a trustee of the State Reform School for Boys by Governor Alexander Bullock. He was reappointed by Governor

William Claflin William Claflin (March 6, 1818 – January 5, 1905) was an American politician, industrialist and philanthropist from Massachusetts. He served as the 27th Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1869 to 1872 and as a member of the ...

and served as chairman of the board for three years. In 1872 he resumed his former position as state prison inspector. In 1875 he was appointed to the Lancaster Industrial School for Girls board of trustees by Governor William Gaston. In 1876, Hall represented the First Essex district in the

Massachusetts 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 ...

. The following year he was elected to the

. In 1880 and 1881 he again served in the state senate.

Business career

Hall manufactured shoes and boots from 1850 to 1874. He was associated with George Raddin from 1850 to 1852 and John W. Newhall from 1852 and 1855 before going into business solo. He was also a founder and longtime president of the Saugus Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He was successful in business and owned an estate on Chestnut Street in East Saugus. Hall died on June 30, 1891.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Harmon 1818 births 1891 deaths Republican Party Massachusetts state senators Members of the Massachusetts Governor's Council Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Saugus, Massachusetts Shoemakers Politicians from Portland, Maine