Nathan Kelsey Hall (March 28, 1810 – March 2, 1874) was a United States representative from

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, the 14th United States Postmaster General and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. Hall was nominated by President Millard Fillmore on August 13, 1852, to a seat vacated by Alfred Conkling. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 31, 1852, and received commission the same day. Hall's service was terminated on March 2, 1874, due to death.

Education and career

Born on March 28, 1810, in Marcellus, Onondaga County,

, Hall moved to Erie County, New York in his early youth and attended the district schools, and engaged in shoe-making and agricultural pursuits. 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 ...

with future President Millard Fillmore in 1832. He entered private practice in Buffalo, New York from 1832 to 1850. He was clerk for the Board of Supervisors of Erie County from 1832 to 1838. He was city attorney for Buffalo from 1833 to 1834. He was an alderman for Buffalo in 1837. He was a Master in

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in Buffalo from 1839 to 1841, on the appointment of

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

William H. Seward. He was a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Erie County from January 1841 to January 1845. 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 ...

in 1846.

Congressional service and Postmaster General

Hall was elected as a Whig from New York's 32nd congressional district to the United States House of Representatives of the

30th United States Congress The 30th 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, 1847, ...

, serving from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1849. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1848. Hall served as the 14th Postmaster General of the United States in the cabinet of President Millard Fillmore from July 23, 1850, to August 31, 1852.

Federal judicial service

Hall was nominated by President Millard Fillmore on August 13, 1852, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York vacated by Judge Alfred Conkling. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 31, 1852, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 2, 1874, due to his death in Buffalo. He was interred in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.

University of Buffalo

Hall was "particularly active in procuring the charter" of the University at Buffalo, which President Fillmore founded.

References

Sources

*
A biography on Nathan Hall
* *
Nathan K. Hall
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Nathan 1810 births 1874 deaths United States Postmasters General Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York United States federal judges appointed by Millard Fillmore 19th-century American judges Politicians from Buffalo, New York New York (state) lawyers Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) Fillmore administration cabinet members Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Marcellus, New York 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Buffalo, New York