Nehemiah Eastman (June 16, 1782 – January 11, 1856) was an American lawyer, banker and politician from

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, 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 t ...

. He served as a member of 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, the New Hampshire Senate and the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...

in the early 1800s.

Early life

Born in

Gilmanton, New Hampshire Gilmanton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,945 at the 2020 census. Gilmanton includes the villages of Gilmanton Corners and Gilmanton Ironworks. The town became well known in the 1950s after it was ...

, Eastman was the son of Ebenezer and Mary (Butler) Eastman. He attended the local academy in Gilmanton and then

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 John Curtis Chamberlain, future member of the United States House of Representatives. He was admitted to the bar in 1807 and began the practice of law in

Farmington, New Hampshire Farmington is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,722 at the 2020 census. Farmington is home to Blue Job State Forest, the Tebbetts Hill Reservation, and Baxter Lake. The town center, where 3,824 peopl ...

Political career

Eastman began his political career as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1813. He served in the New Hampshire Senate from 1820 to 1825. Elected as an Adams candidate to the

Nineteenth Congress The 19th 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, 1825, ...

, Eastman served as United States Representative for the state of New Hampshire from March 4, 1825 to March 3, 1827. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law. In 1834, Eastman and James Farrington organized the Rochester Bank in Rochester, New Hampshire.

Death

Eastman died in Farmington, Strafford County, New Hampshire, on January 11, 1856. He is interred at Farmington Cemetery in Farmington, New Hampshire.

Personal life

On October 24, 1813, Eastman married Anstriss Barker Woodbury in

Francestown, New Hampshire Francestown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,610 at the 2020 census. The village of Francestown, population 201 in 2020, is in the center of the town. History Incorporated in 1772, Francestow ...

and they had four children: Charles, Martha Ann, George Nehemiah, and Henry Patrick. His brother-in-law was

Levi Woodbury Levi Woodbury (December 22, 1789September 4, 1851) was an American attorney, jurist, and Democratic politician from New Hampshire. During a four-decade career in public office, Woodbury served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the U ...

, an Associate Justice of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

and 9th Governor of New Hampshire. Eastman was the uncle of

Ira Allen Eastman Ira Allen Eastman (January 1, 1809 – March 21, 1881) was an American manufacturer and Democratic politician in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and as a member of the Ne ...

, a United States Representative from New Hampshire.

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastman, Nehemiah 1782 births 1856 deaths People from Gilmanton, New Hampshire American people of English descent National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire Members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives New Hampshire state senators People from Farmington, New Hampshire New Hampshire lawyers American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers Members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire