Hiram Walden (August 21, 1800 – July 21, 1880) was an American businessman and politician 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 * '' ...

. He was most notable for his service as a

United States 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 ...

from 1849 to 1851.

Biography

Walden was born in

Pawlet, Vermont Pawlet is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,424 at the 2020 census. History Pawlet was one of the New Hampshire Grants, chartered from Benning Wentworth, Governor of colonial New Hampshire. The charter was g ...

on August 21, 1800. He attended the district schools of Pawlet and moved to

Berne, New York Berne is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,689 at the 2020 census. The town is at the western border of Albany County. History The town of Berne was originally spelled "Bern", until the Berne Post Office was ...

in 1818. In 1821, he moved to the hamlet of Waldenville in what is now the town of

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...

. Walden farmed and was involved in the manufacture of axes, a business he operated until it was destroyed in an 1846 fire. He was a 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 1836. In addition to his business interests, Walden was involved in the state militia and in 1839 he attained the rank of major general as commander of the 16th Division. He commanded the division until resigning in 1841. He was Schoharie's

town supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

from 1842 to 1844. When the town of Wright was created by separating it from Schoharie, Walden was Wright's first town supervisor, and he served from 1846 to 1849. In 1848, Walden was the successful Democratic nominee for a seat in 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 ...

. He served in the

Thirty-first Congress The 31st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1849, ...

(March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851). During his House term, Walden was a member of the Committee on Invalid Pensions and chairman of the Committee on Patents. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-nomination in 1850. After leaving Congress, Walden was employed as an inspector in New York City's United States Custom House. After retiring, he was a resident of Waldenville until his death on July 21, 1880. He was buried at Berne and Beaverdam Cemetery (formerly Pine Grove) in Berne, New York.

Family

In 1822, Walden married Sophia Dominick (1803-1893), daughter of John Dominick and Margaretha Ball. They were the parents of 10 children, of whom eight lived to adulthood. :Miner (b. 1823) :Hiram Jr. (b. 1828) :John D. (b. 1833) :Moses P. (b. 1835) :Albert D. (b. 1837) :Sylvanus (b. 1839) :Isaac D. (b. 1841) :Elmina Edna (b. 1844)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walden, Hiram 1800 births 1880 deaths American militia generals Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians