Matthew Hale (June 20, 1829 – March 25, 1897) was an American lawyer 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 * '' ...

Life

Matthew Hale was born in

Chelsea, Vermont Chelsea is a town in and the shire town (county seat) of Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2020 census. Geography Chelsea is located in a river valley in central Vermont. The First Branch of the White Rive ...

on June 20, 1829. He graduated from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

in 1851. Then he studied law with his brother

Robert S. Hale Robert Safford Hale (September 24, 1822 – December 14, 1881) was a U.S. Representative from New York. Born in Chelsea, Vermont, Hale attended South Royalton (Vermont) Academy, and was graduated from the University of Vermont at Burlin ...

(1822–1881) and

Orlando Kellogg Orlando Kellogg (June 18, 1809August 24, 1865) was a U.S. Representative from New York during the latter half of the American Civil War and the early days of Reconstruction. Biography Kellogg was born in Elizabethtown, New York and Kellogg pur ...

Elizabethtown, New York Elizabethtown is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,163 at the 2010 census. The county seat of Essex County is the hamlet of Elizabethtown, located in the northern part of the town. The name is derived from Eliz ...

, was admitted to the bar in 1853, and commenced practice in

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

. In 1856, he married Ellen S. Hand (c. 1835–1867). In 1859, he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In 1863, he returned to Elizabethtown, and practiced law in partnership with his father-in-law

Augustus C. Hand Augustus Cincinnatus Hand (September 4, 1803 in Shoreham, Vermont, Shoreham, Addison County, Vermont – March 8, 1878 in Elizabethtown, New York, Essex County, New York) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from New York. He served one ...

(1803–1878). Hale was Supervisor of the Town of Elizabethtown in 1864 and 1865; 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 ...

of 1867–68; and a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(16th D.) in

1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...

and 1869. Afterwards he remained in Albany, and practiced law there with his brother-in-law

Samuel Hand Samuel Hand (May 1, 1834 – May 21, 1886) was an Associate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals in 1878. Early life Born in Elizabethtown, New York, to Judge Augustus C. Hand and Marcia Seeyle Northrop, Hand went to Middlebury College in V ...

(1833–1886), and

Charles S. Fairchild Charles Stebbins Fairchild (April 30, 1842 – November 24, 1924) was an American businessman and politician who served as United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1887 to 1889 and Attorney General of New York from 1876 to 1877. He was a not ...

. In December 1877, Hale married Mary Lee, and they had five children. In 1883, the University of Vermont conferred on him an honorary degree of

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

In 1886, he was appointed by Governor

David B. Hill David Bennett Hill (August 29, 1843October 20, 1910) was an American politician from New York who was the 29th Governor of New York from 1885 to 1891 and represented New York in the United States Senate from 1892 to 1897. In 1892, he made an u ...

to a three-member State commission to find a more humane alternative to hanging. Two years later they recommended

electrocution Electrocution is death or severe injury caused by electric shock from electric current passing through the body. The word is derived from "electro" and "execution", but it is also used for accidental death. The term "electrocution" was coined ...

. Matthew Hale died at his home in Albany on March 25, 1897.

Ancestors

Matthew Hale was the grandson of

Nathan Hale Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 – September 22, 1776) was an American Patriot, soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City but was captured b ...

, a colonel in the American army during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

.Henry Hall, ''Year Book of the Societies Composed of Descendants of the Men of the Revolution'', Republic Press - 1891, page 287

References

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1870; pg. 444 and 593)
''Life Sketches of the State Officers, Senators, and Members of the Assembly of the State of New York in 1868''
by S. R. Harlow & S. C. Hutchins (pg. 89ff) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hale, Matthew 1829 births 1897 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Chelsea, Vermont Politicians from Poughkeepsie, New York University of Vermont alumni People from Elizabethtown, New York Town supervisors in New York (state) Politicians from Albany, New York 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Albany, New York 19th-century American lawyers