Lemuel Stetson (March 13, 1804 – May 17, 1868) was an attorney, politician and judge from

Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...

. He was most notable for his service as judge of the

Clinton County, New York Clinton County is a county in the north-easternmost corner of the state of New York, in the United States and bordered by the Canadian province of Quebec. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 79,843. Its county seat is the ci ...

court and 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

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 * '' ...

Early life

Stetson was born in

Champlain, New York Champlain is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 5,754 at the 2010 census. The town is located on the western shore of Lake Champlain, near the northern end of Lake Champlain and is on the U.S./Canadian border. ...

, one of thirteen children born to Reuben and Lois (Smedley) Stetson of

Hardwick, Massachusetts Hardwick is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States, about west of the city of Worcester. It had a population of 2,667 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Hardwick, Gilbertville, Wheelwright and Old Furnace. Hist ...

. Stetson was raised on his family's farm and attended the public schools of Champlain. He attended the academy in Plattsburgh and received additional instruction in classical languages from the academy's principal. Stetson taught school while studying law with attorneys Julius C. Hubbell of Chazy, Henry. K. Averill of

Rouses Point Rouses Point is a village (New York), village in Clinton County, New York, Clinton County, New York (state), New York, United States, along the 45th parallel north, 45th parallel. The population was 2,209 at the 2010 census. The village is named ...

, and John Lynde of Plattsburgh. 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 1828 and commenced practice in

Keeseville, New York Keeseville is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Clinton and Essex counties, New York, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2010 census. The hamlet was named after the Keese family, early settlers from Vermont. It developed alon ...

Start of career

In addition to practicing law, Stetson became active in politics as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. 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 ...

1835 Events January–March * January 7 – anchors off the Chonos Archipelago on her second voyage, with Charles Darwin on board as naturalist. * January 8 – The United States public debt contracts to zero, for the only time in history. ...

1836 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand Augustus Francis Anthony of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. * January 5 – Davy Crockett arrives in Texas. * January 12 ** , with Charles Darwin on board, r ...

, and

1842 Events January–March * January ** Michael Alexander takes office, as the first appointee to the Anglican-German Bishopric in Jerusalem. ** American medical student William E. Clarke of Berkshire Medical College becomes the first pe ...

. From 1838 to 1843, Stetson served as

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

of Clinton County. Stetson was active in several upstate New York businesses, including serving as secretary and a board of directors member of the Clinton and Essex Mutual Insurance Company.

Congressman

Stetson was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1842 and served in the

28th Congress The 28th 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, 1843 ...

(March 4, 1843 - March 3, 1845). During his term in the US House, Stetson was a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee on Revolutionary Claims. In addition, he was chairman of the Committee on District of Columbia.

Later career

In 1846, Stetson was a delegate to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

and was chairman of the committee that considered the powers and duties of the state legislature. In 1847, he moved to Plattsburgh to take office as judge of the Clinton County court, and he served from 1847 to 1851. Stetson was involved in the long running dispute between the

Barnburners and Hunkers The Barnburners and Hunkers were the names of two opposing factions of the New York Democratic Party in the mid-19th century. The main issue dividing the two factions was that of slavery, with the Barnburners being the anti-slavery faction. Whil ...

of New York's Democratic Party and in 1855 was the unsuccessful "Soft Hunker" nominee for New York State Comptroller. He was a delegate to the

1860 Democratic National Convention The 1860 Democratic National Conventions were a series of presidential nominating conventions held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The first convention, held from April 23 t ...

in Baltimore, where he supported

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...

for president. Stetson returned to the State Assembly in and

1862 Events January–March * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico. * January ...

, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Stetson was a pro-

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Democrat and supported measures to prosecute the war and prevent the Confederate states from seceding.

Death and burial

Stetson died in Plattsburgh on May 17, 1868. He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Plattsburgh.

Family

In 1831 Stetson married Helen Hascall (1808-1860). Their children included sons Ralph, John, Francis, and William. John was killed during the Civil War's Maryland campaign while serving as lieutenant colonel and second in command of the

59th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 59th New York Infantry Regiment was a regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As part of the Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac, it played a significant role in battles such as Antietam and Gettysburg. History Recr ...

References

Sources

Magazines

Books

* *

Newspapers

External links

*
Stetson Family Papers
at Fort Worth Library Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Stetson, Lemuel 1804 births 1868 deaths People from Champlain, New York Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly County district attorneys in New York (state) New York (state) state court judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges