Henry Chapman (February 4, 1804 – April 11, 1891) was an American politician from
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
who served as a
Democratic member of the
U.S. House of Representatives for
Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district includes all of Carbon, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties; and parts of Monroe County. The district is represented by Democrat Susan Wild.
From 2013 through 2018, the district incorporated parts of th ...
from 1857 to 1859.
Biography and career
Henry Chapman was born in
Newtown, Pennsylvania, the son of Abraham Chapman, a lawyer, and Elizabeth Meredith, the daughter of a lawyer.
He attended Doylestown Academy and Doctor Gummere's private boys' school near
Burlington, New Jersey. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1825 and commenced practice in Doylestown. He served as a member of the
Pennsylvania State Senate for the
6th district from 1843 to 1846. He was a judge of the fifteenth judicial district from 1845 to 1849.
Chapman was elected as a Democrat to the
Thirty-fifth Congress. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in
1858
Events
January–March
* January –
** Benito Juárez (1806–1872) becomes Liberal President of Mexico. At the same time, conservatives install Félix María Zuloaga (1813–1898) as president.
** William I of Prussia becomes regen ...
. He served as judge of the
Bucks County
Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...
Court in 1861. He retired in 1871. He died at "Frosterley," near
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown is a borough and the county seat of Bucks County in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Trenton,
north of Center City, Philadelphia,
southeast of Allentown, and southwest of New York City.
As of the 2020 ...
. He is interred at the Doylestown Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
In 1844, he built the
James-Lorah House
James-Lorah House, also known as the Judge Chapman House and VIA House, is a historic home located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was built about 1844, and is a -story, stuccoed townhouse dwelling with a medium gable roof. It has ...
, listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1972.
Personal life and family
Chapman's first wife was Rebecca Stewart (1800–1837).
[ (Tatem spells the name Rebecca Steward.)] Their children were Elizabeth, Mary Rebecca, Henry A., and Thomas Stewart. Elizabeth married the diplomat Colonel Timothy Bigelow Lawrence, son of the extremely wealthy
Abbott Lawrence
Abbott Lawrence (December 16, 1792, Groton, Massachusetts – August 18, 1855) was a prominent American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was among the group of industrialists that founded a settlement on the Merrimack River that ...
. Mary Rebecca married William Robert Mercer, son of Colonel John Francis Mercer, son of former Maryland governor
John Francis Mercer. Upon Lawrence's early death, the childless Elizabeth inherited and moved in with the Mercer family, lavishly supporting their children, especially
Henry Chapman Mercer who became her travelling companion.
Chapman's second wife was Nancy Findlay Shunk, daughter of Governor
Francis R. Shunk and Jane, who herself was the daughter of Governor
William Findlay. Their children were Fanny and Arthur.
Nancy's sister Elizabeth married Congressman
Charles Brown, their children included a future state Attorney General
Francis Shunk Brown
Francis Shunk Brown (June 9, 1858 – May 6, 1940) was an American lawyer from Pennsylvania who served one term as Pennsylvania Attorney General from 1915 to 1919 and ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for Governor in 1930.
Ancestry
B ...
.
The two half-sisters, Elizabeth and Fanny, would be the role models for Madeleine Lee and Sybil Ross in the
Henry Adams
Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. Presidents.
As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fr ...
novel ''
Democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
''.
James Michener
James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and ...
, who grew up as next-door neighbors to the Mercers in Doylestown, claims Elizabeth "can be taken as the prototype for many of
Henry_James">/nowiki> Henry_James">/nowiki>Henry_James'">Henry_James.html"_;"title="/nowiki>Henry_James">/nowiki>Henry_James'/nowiki>_heroines."_A_similar_claim_has_been_made_about_Michener's_novels_also.
_References
_External_links
The_Political_Graveyard
.html" ;"title="Henry_James'.html" ;"title="Henry_James.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Henry James">/nowiki>Henry James'">Henry_James.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Henry James">/nowiki>Henry James'/nowiki> heroines." A similar claim has been made about Michener's novels also.
References
External links
The Political Graveyard
">-
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Henry
1804 births
1891 deaths
Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators
Pennsylvania lawyers
Pennsylvania state court judges
American Presbyterians
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
19th-century American politicians
People from Doylestown, Pennsylvania
19th-century American judges
19th-century American lawyers