Henry Snapp (June 30, 1822 – November 26, 1895) was 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

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. He was the father of Howard Malcolm Snapp, also a U.S. Representative.

Biography

Henry Snapp was born in

Livonia, New York Livonia is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 7,809. The town contains a village also named Livonia. The town is on the eastern border of the county. In the 19th century numerous ...

on June 30, 1822. When he was three years old, Snapp moved with his parents to

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. He attended the public schools of Rochester. He removed with his family to

Homer Township, Will County, Illinois Homer Township is located in Will County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 39,059 and it contained 13,418 housing units. In 2001, the village of Homer Glen was incorporated within area that is Homer Township. This region was ...

, in 1833, where he completed his public education and helped on the family farm. When Snapp reached adulthood, he moved to Joliet and studied law under E. C. fellows & S. W. Randall. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1843, though he did not practice for another seven years. Snapp was elected city attorney in 1854. Snapp was elected to the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

in 1868 and served one two-year term. There, he lobbied to have the

Illinois State Capitol The Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois, houses the legislative and executive branches of the government of the U.S. state of Illinois. The current building is the sixth to serve as the capitol building since Illinois was admi ...

constructed with Joliet limestone. He was re-elected to this position, but resigned from office so that he could be nominated as the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate to 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 ...

. Snapp was elected to the Forty-second Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Burton C. Cook. He served from December 4, 1871, to March 3, 1873. Snapp declined to be a candidate for renomination to the House in 1872. He resumed his law practice in Joliet, where he died on November 26, 1895. He was interred in Oakwood Cemetery. Snapp married Adeline Broadie in Joliet in January 1847. They had five children: Sarah, Dorrance Dibell, Elizabsth, Henry D., Howard M., and Charles D. Howard would follow in his father's footsteps and be elected as a Republican to the House of Representatives in 1903.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snapp, Henry 1822 births 1895 deaths Illinois lawyers Republican Party Illinois state senators Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois People from Joliet, Illinois 19th-century American legislators People from Livonia, New York 19th-century American lawyers