Joshua Seney (March 4, 1756 – October 20, 1798) was an American farmer and lawyer from

Queen Anne's County, Maryland Queen Anne's County is located on the Eastern Shore of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,874. Its county seat and most populous municipality is Centreville. The census-designated place of Stevensville i ...

. He represented the state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

, and the second district of Maryland in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

Early life

Joshua was born to John Seney (1730–1795) and Ruth (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Benton) Seney in 1756 on the family farm near Church Hill in the

Province of Maryland The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S. state of Maryland ...

. His grandfather, Solomon, was a French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

refugee who arrived in Maryland around 1727. By the time Joshua was born the family were prosperous farmers and planters. He was educated in local schools and then attended the

College of Philadelphia The Academy and College of Philadelphia (1749-1791) was a boys' school and men's college in Philadelphia, Colony of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1749 by a group of local notables that included Benjamin Franklin, the Academy of Philadelphia began as a ...

(now the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

), graduating in 1773.

Career

After Seney was admitted to the bar, he confined himself to a private practice. In 1779, he served as the High Sheriff of

Continental Congress

During the early days of the Revolutionary War Seney busied himself with the care of the family's farms since his father was active as a Lt. Colonel in the militia. He was appointed the sheriff of Queen Anne's County in 1779. He was elected to the Maryland state House of Delegates, and served there from 1785 to 1787. In 1788, Seney was sent as a delegate to the Continental Congress.

United States Congress

After returning to his farm, Seney was again called to political service when he was elected to the

First United States Congress The 1st United States Congress, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791, during the first two years of George Washington's presidency, first at Federal Hall in ...

in 1789. He was re-elected for the 1791–1793 term as an

Anti-Administration The Anti-Administration Party was an informal political faction in the United States led by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson that opposed policies of then Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in the first term of US President George W ...

candidate but resigned from Congress on December 6, 1792 to take up his new duties as a judge of the state court for the district of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He served as Chief Justice of the Third Judicial District of Maryland from 1792 to 1796. In 1798, Seney ran for Congress again as a

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 ...

. He defeated the incumbent

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

William Hindman William Hindman (April 1, 1743January 19, 1822) was an American lawyer and statesman from Talbot County, Maryland. He represented Maryland in the Continental Congress, and in the federal Congress as both a Representative from the second and ...

but died before taking office.

Personal life

Seney was married to Frances "Fanny" Nicholson (1771–1851) of the prominent Nicholson family of Maryland. Fanny was the daughter of Commodore James Nicholson and was the sister of Catherine "Kitty" Nicholson (wife of

William Few William Few Jr. (June 8, 1748 – July 16, 1828) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, politician and jurist. He represented the U.S. state of Georgia at the Constitutional Convention and signed the U.S. Constitution. Few and James Gunn w ...

), Hannah Nicholson (wife of

Albert Gallatin Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Genevan– American politician, diplomat, ethnologist and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early years ...

), James Witter Nicholson (husband of Ann Griffin, daughter of

Isaac Griffin Isaac Griffin (February 27, 1756October 12, 1827) was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, serving two terms from 1813 to 1817. Early life and career Isaac Griffin (gre ...

), Maria Nicholson (wife of John Montgomery), and Jehoiadden Nicholson (wife of James Chrystie). Together, Joshua and Fanny were the parents of: * Joshua Seney Jr. (1793–1854), who married Ann Ebert (1803–1879), the parents of Judge Henry William Seney. Seney died at home on October 20, 1798 and was buried in a family plot on his farm near Church Hill in Queen Anne's County. His grave can now be found in the churchyard of St. Luke's Church.

References

External links

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Seney, Joshua 1756 births 1798 deaths 18th-century American politicians American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Continental Congressmen from Maryland Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Elected officials who died without taking their seats Farmers from Maryland Maryland sheriffs Members of the Maryland House of Delegates People from Queen Anne's County, Maryland University of Pennsylvania alumni