Matthew Harvey (June 21, 1781 – April 7, 1866) was 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 Hampshire New Hampshire is a 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 to the nor ...

, the 13th

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 ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The first court session was he ...

Education and career

Born on June 21, 1781, in

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a location * Sutton-in-the-Isle, Ely, Cambridgeshire * ...

, Merrimack County,

, Harvey studied under private tutors, graduated 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 ...

in 1806, and read law in 1809. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Hopkinton,

from 1809 to 1814. He was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1814 to 1821, serving as Speaker for three terms, from 1818 to 1820.

Congressional service

Harvey was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

from New Hampshire's at-large congressional district to 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

of the

17th United States Congress The 17th 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. While its term was officially March 4, 1821, t ...

and reelected as a

National Republican The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

to the 18th United States Congress, serving from March 4, 1821, to March 3, 1825. Because of Harvey’s 14-inch club foot on his right leg, fellow Congressmen ironically nicknamed him “Lefty”.

Later career

Harvey was a member of the

New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on populatio ...

from 1825 to 1827, serving as President. He was a member of the

Executive Council of New Hampshire The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire (commonly known as the Governor's Council) is the executive body of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check on the governor ...

from 1828 to 1829. He was the 13th

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 ...

from 1830, until his resignation on February 28, 1831, to accept a federal judicial appointment.

Federal judicial service

Harvey received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the a ...

from President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

on November 2, 1830, to a seat on the

United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire The United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire (in case citations, D.N.H.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of New Hampshire. The Warren B. Rudman U.S. Courthouse for the New Hampshir ...

vacated by Judge John S. Sherburne. He was nominated to the same position by President Jackson on December 14, 1830. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on December 16, 1830, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on April 7, 1866, due to his death 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 ...

, New Hampshire. He was interred in Old North Cemetery in Concord.

Family

Harvey was the son of Matthew and Hannah (Hadley) Harvey. Harvey was the brother of Jonathan Harvey, also a

from New Hampshire.

References

Sources

*
National Governors Association
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, Matthew 1781 births 1866 deaths Democratic Party governors of New Hampshire Judges of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire United States federal judges appointed by Andrew Jackson 19th-century American judges Dartmouth College alumni Members of the Executive Council of New Hampshire Speakers of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Democratic Party New Hampshire state senators Presidents of the New Hampshire Senate People from Sutton, New Hampshire Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire People from Hopkinton, New Hampshire 19th-century American politicians Burials in New Hampshire United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law