Ira Allen Eastman (January 1, 1809 – March 21, 1881) was an American manufacturer and Democratic politician in the U.S. state of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. He served as a member of 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 ...

and as a member of the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...

in the 1800s.

Early life

Eastman was born in

Gilmanton, New Hampshire Gilmanton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,945 at the 2020 census. Gilmanton includes the villages of Gilmanton Corners and Gilmanton Ironworks. The town became well known in the 1950s after it was ...

, the son of Stephen and Hannah Eastman. He attended the local schools and Gilmanton Academy before graduating from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of Eng ...

, in 1829. He

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

and 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 1832. He began practicing law in

Troy, New Hampshire Troy is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,130 at the 2020 census. It is situated west of Mount Monadnock. The town's central village, where 1,108 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the T ...

Political career

Eastman returned to Gilmanton in 1834 and continued the practice of law. He served as clerk of the

in 1835. He was as member of the State House of Representatives from 1836 to 1838, and served as speaker of the State House in 1837 and 1838. He was Register of Probate for

Strafford County Strafford County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 130,889. Its county seat is Dover. Strafford County was one of the five original counties identified for New Hampshire in 1769. It was n ...

from 1836 to 1839. Eastman was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses, serving from March 4, 1839 - March 3, 1843. He served as chairman of the

United States House Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

during the Twenty-seventh Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1842. After leaving Congress, he served as judge of the New Hampshire Court of Common Pleas from 1844-1849. He served as associate justice of the

New Hampshire Supreme Court The New Hampshire Supreme Court is the supreme court of the U. S. state of New Hampshire and sole appellate court of the state. The Supreme Court is seated in the state capital, Concord. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and four Associate ...

from 1849 to 1855, and as justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court from 1855 to 1859. In 1858, he was honored with a L.L.D. degree from Dartmouth College, and in 1859 he was chosen trustee of Dartmouth. After resigning from judicial service, Eastman resumed the practice of law. He practiced law in

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. Eastman was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for

Governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Verm ...

in 1863 and for

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

in 1866. Eastman died on March 21, 1881, in Manchester and is interred in

Valley Cemetery The Valley Cemetery (or the Valley Street Cemetery) is a public cemetery located in Manchester, New Hampshire, United States. It is bounded on the east by Pine Street, on the north by Auburn Street, on the west by Willow Street, and on the south b ...

Personal life

Eastman was married to Jane Quackenbush and they had two children, Clarence and Anna Q. He was the nephew of

Nehemiah Eastman Nehemiah Eastman (June 16, 1782 – January 11, 1856) was an American lawyer, banker and politician from New Hampshire. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, the New Hampshire Senate and the New Hampshire House ...

, a United States Representative from New Hampshire.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastman, Ira Allen 1809 births 1881 deaths Dartmouth College alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire Democratic Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Burials at Valley Cemetery People from Gilmanton, New Hampshire