Rufus Palen (February 25, 1807 – April 26, 1844) was an American

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

in the U.S. state of New York. He represented New York 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 ...

Biography

Palen was born in

Palenville, New York Palenville is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 1,037 at the 2010 census. Palenville is in the southwestern part of the town of Catskill, located at the junction of Routes ...

and moved with his family as a child to

Fallsburg Fallsburg is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The town is in the eastern part of the county. The population was 14,192 at the 2020 census. (It is not to be confused with the hamlet of Fallsburg which bears a similar name and ...

. He received limited schooling and became engaged in the tanning and manufacture of leather as head of Rufus Palen & Co., and a partner in Knapp & Palen, Palen & Flagler, and other companies. In addition, he was a partner in a general store under the company name Palen Foster & Co., and was active in other business ventures. He held several political offices in New York, including postmaster of Palenville, and town board member, school supervisor, and district highway overseer for Fallsburg. He was elected as a Whig to the

Twenty-sixth Congress The 26th 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, 183 ...

, serving from March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841. Palen contracted tuberculosis during his term in Congress, and spent much of his time afterwards traveling outside the United States in an effort to improve his health. He died in New York City on April 26, 1844. He is interred in the Old Cemetery in

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Palen, Rufus 1807 births 1844 deaths People from Fallsburg, New York People from Catskill, New York New York (state) postmasters School board members in New York (state) Town supervisors in New York (state) Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians