Nathaniel Terry Jr. (January 30, 1768 – June 14, 1844) was an American politician, lawyer, and judge who served a single term in 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 ...

, representing the at-large congressional district of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

from 1817 to 1819 as a member of the Federalist Party. He previously served in the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

from 1804 to 1815, and subsequently served as the 4th mayor of Hartford, Connecticut from 1824 to 1831.

Early life and education

Terry was born in

Enfield, Connecticut Enfield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, first settled by John and Robert Pease of Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony. The population was 42,141 at the 2020 census. It is bordered by Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and East Long ...

on January 30, 1768 to Nathaniel Terry Sr. and Abiah Dwight. He attended common schools and

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 ...

. Terry graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1786. He studied law.

Career

Terry 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 1790; he commenced practice in Enfield. In 1796, Terry moved to Hartford, Connecticut, where he served as commander of the Governor's Foot Guard from 1802 to 1813. Terry also served as a judge of the

Hartford County Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. According to the 2020 census, the population was 899,498, making it the second-most populous county in Connecticut. Hartford County contains the ...

Court from 1807 until his resignation in 1809. Terry served in the

from 1804 to 1815. Terry served a single term in the

, representing the at-large congressional district of

from 1817 to 1819 as a member of the Federalist Party. He served in the

15th United States Congress The 15th 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 the Old Brick Capitol in Washingto ...

; his tenure began on March 4, 1817 and concluded on March 3, 1819. Terry was a member of the Connecticut state constitutional convention in 1818. He served as president of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company from 1810 to 1835. Additionally, he served as president of the Hartford Bank from 1819 to 1828. Terry served as the 4th mayor of Hartford, Connecticut from November 22, 1824 to March 28, 1831. He served in this position as a member of the Whig Party. Terry also served as a general in the state militia.

Personal life and death

Terry married Catharine Wadsworth in Hartford, Connecticut on March 14, 1798. They had eight children together. Terry died at the age of 76 in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

on June 14, 1844. He was buried in Old North (Spring Grove) Cemetery, located in Hartford.

References

External links

Official page
at the '' Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''
Profile
from GovTrack
Profile
from

FamilySearch FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and is closely connected with the church's Family Hist ...

Nathaniel Terry
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations o ...

Nathaniel Terry Jr.
at Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Terry, Nathaniel 1768 births 1844 deaths 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Connecticut lawyers Mayors of Hartford, Connecticut American militia generals Yale College alumni People of colonial Connecticut People from Enfield, Connecticut Burials in Connecticut