Oliver Cromwell Comstock (March 1, 1780 – January 11, 1860) 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 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 * '' ...

Biography

He was born on March 1, 1780, in

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, sout ...

, he moved with his parents to

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, when he was a child. He received a liberal schooling and studied medicine, practicing in

Trumansburg Trumansburg is a village in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 1,797 at the 2010 census. The name incorporates a misspelling of the surname of the founder, Abner Treman. The Tremans spelled their surname several differe ...

. 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 ...

from 1810 to 1812 and was the first judge of New York Court of Common Pleas for Seneca County, holding that office from 1812 to 1815. Comstock 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 ...

to the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1813, to March 3, 1819. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1818, and was the first judge of court of common pleas for

Tompkins County Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,740. The county seat is Ithaca. The name is in honor of Daniel D. Tompkins, who served as Governor of New York and Vice President ...

in 1817 and 1818. He abandoned the practice of medicine and studied theology. He was licensed to preach and ordained to the

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

ministry; he was then installed as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Rochester and served in that capacity from 1825 to 1834. He was elected Chaplain of the House of Representatives on December 20, 1836, and served until March 3, 1837. He moved to

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and resumed ministerial duties at

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

in 1839; from 1841 to 1843 he was a

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and from 1843 to 1845 he was State superintendent of public instruction. Comstock died in Marshall,

Calhoun County, Michigan Calhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 134,310. The county seat is Marshall. The county was established on October 19, 1829, and named after John C. Calhoun, who was at the time Vice ...

, in 1860; interment was in Oakridge Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comstock, Oliver Cromwell 1780 births 1860 deaths Politicians from Warwick, Rhode Island Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state court judges Chaplains of the United States House of Representatives Regents of the University of Michigan Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Politicians from Schenectady, New York People from Trumansburg, New York 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges