Samuel Anderson (1773January 17, 1850) was an American politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

who served as an Adams Party member of the

U.S. 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 ...

from

Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district Pennsylvania's fourth congressional district, effective January 3, 2019, encompasses the majority of Montgomery County and a small sliver of Berks County in southeastern Pennsylvania. In the 2020 redistricting cycle, the Pennsylvania district ...

from 1827 to 1829. He served as a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1815 to 1818 and again from 1823 to 1825. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, Anderson raised a group of volunteers known as the Mifflin Guards and served as captain. He continued to serve in the

Pennsylvania militia The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1821.

Early life and education

Samuel Anderson was born in Middletown in the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to W ...

to Reverend James and Margaret (McDowell) Anderson. He studied medicine and was admitted to practice in 1796.

Military career

In July 1799, he was appointed by

President John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establi ...

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

's mate in the U.S. Navy. A month later, he was commissioned surgeon and assigned to duty under Captain David Porter, who was a personal friend of the doctor. He resigned his commission and in 1801 settled in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...

, where he continued the practice of medicine. During the

, Anderson raised a group of volunteers known as the Mifflin Guards. He was commissioned captain on September 10, 1814 and served for three months at

Fort DuPont Fort DuPont, named in honor of Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont, is located between the original Delaware City and the modern Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on the original Reeden Point tract, which was granted to Henry Ward in 1675. Along w ...

. He served in the Pennsylvania Militia and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the One Hundredth Regiment, Second Brigade, Third Division, on August 3, 1821. In 1823, Anderson was recalled to active duty in the Navy and was assigned to the West Indies Squadron commanded by Commodore Porter. In 1824, he was surgeon on the USS Hornet and later the same year on the

USS Decoy USS ''Decoy'' was a schooner in the United States Navy during the 1820s. ''Decoy'' was purchased 27 December 1822 by Commodore David Porter in New York under the name ''Zodiac''. On 16 January 1823 she sailed from New York under the command o ...

stationed at

Matanzas, Cuba Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

Political career

Anderson was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

member of the

from 1815 to 1818 and 1823 to 1825. He served as

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Delaware County, Pennsylvania Delaware County, colloquially referred to as Delco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With a population of 576,830 as of the 2020 census, it is the List of counties in Pennsylvan ...

, from 1819 to 1823. In 1827, Anderson was elected to the Twentieth Congress to represent

and served until 1829. He was reelected as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1829 to 1830. He was reelected as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1831 and served until 1835. In 1832, Anderson was elected as the 60th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. During his Speakership, he signed important bills on road construction as well as canal and railroad incorporation and regulation. In 1840, Anderson was appointed Inspector of Customs at the

Lazaretto A lazaretto or lazaret (from it, lazzaretto a diminutive form of the Italian word for beggar cf. lazzaro) is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings ...

in Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania and served until 1845. He was elected justice of the peace in 1846 and served until his death in 1850.

Personal life

In 1802, Anderson married Sarah Richards and together they had six children. Anderson died in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1850 and is interred at the Middletown Presbyterian Cemetery in

Elwyn, Pennsylvania Elwyn is an unincorporated community located in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA. Elwyn has a latitude of 39.907N, longitude of -75.41W and an elevation of 253 feet above sea level. Elwyn is home to Elwyn Inc., a facility c ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Samuel 1773 births 1850 deaths American militiamen in the War of 1812 Burials in Pennsylvania Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania sheriffs People of colonial Pennsylvania Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives United States Navy officers American militia officers