Samuel Etheridge (April 15, 1788 – February 18, 1864) was a

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

for the seventh district of the state of

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 ...

in 1838. Etheridge was born in

Adams, Massachusetts Adams is a town in northern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,166 at the 2020 census. History Nathan Jones purchased the township of ...

, on April 15, 1788 to parents of English lineage. He received a common-school education and excelled in mathematics. He taught school for a time; and, subsequently, having a taste for mechanics, learned the trade of a millwright and machinist. He worked in

West Schuyler, New York West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

in 1815, and in

Frankfort, New York Frankfort is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The town is named after one of its earliest settlers, Lawrence (Lewis) Frank. The town of Frankfort includes a village, also called Frankfort. Frankfort is located east of Utica, ...

in 1817. In 1833, when a resident of New York State, he became engaged in mercantile business; but, being unsuccessful, he moved to

Coldwater, Michigan Coldwater is a city in Branch County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,945. It is the county seat of Branch County, located in the center of the southern border of Michigan. The city is surrounded by Co ...

and settled there in March, 1837. He had a very extensive business in

employing from fifty to seventy-five laborers. He built large mills at Ypsilanti, Saline,

Leonidas Leonidas I (; grc-gre, Λεωνίδας; died 19 September 480 BC) was a List of kings of Sparta#Heraclids, king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, and the 17th of the List of kings of Sparta#Agiad dynasty, Agiad line, a dynasty which claimed d ...

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

, and Allegan. He was elected to various local offices in Michigan; and, in 1838, to the State Senate, to represent the Seventh Senatorial District, which comprised the counties of

Branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk (botany), trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term '' ...

St. Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to: Placenames Australia * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales Canada ...

, Van Buren, and

Cass Cass may refer to: People and fictional characters * Cass (surname), a list of people * Cass (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Big Cass, ring name of wrestler William Morrissey * Cass, in British band Skunk Anansie * Cass, ...

. In early manhood he became a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and advanced until he became a Knight Templar. Etheridge took an active part in every public enterprise, particularly in education, and frequently delivered addresses on that and other subjects. He possessed great natural ability for public speaking, but was hampered by the deficiencies of his early education. In the senate he was ridiculed for advocating public enterprises which after his death were carried into effect. Among those were the

Pacific Railroad The Pacific Railroad (not to be confused with Union Pacific Railroad) was a railroad based in Missouri. It was a predecessor of both the Missouri Pacific Railroad and St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. The Pacific was chartered by Missouri in 184 ...

, and the direct trade with China, the success of which argues that he saw into the future farther than his contemporaries. At the age of fifty-five years, he made a profession of religion, and united with the

Baptist Church 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 ...

in Coldwater. He was a

Jacksonian Democrat Jacksonian democracy was a 19th-century political philosophy in the United States that expanded suffrage to most white men over the age of 21, and restructured a number of federal institutions. Originating with the seventh U.S. president, Andr ...

. Standing at six feet and one inch, he was somewhat intimidating, but his gentle and sociable personality led to great personal popularity. He married twice and had ten children. He died in

Quincy, Michigan Quincy is a village in Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,652 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Quincy Township on U.S. Highway 12. Note: there is also another Quincy Township in Houghton Count ...

on February 18, 1864 at nearly 76 years of age. He is interred at Oak Grove Cemetery in

along with his wives and children.http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/estevan-evanoff.html#17G0G14SI Etheridge, Samuel (1788–1864)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Etheridge, Samuel Michigan state senators People from Coldwater, Michigan 1788 births 1864 deaths Burials in Michigan Michigan Jacksonians People from Adams, Massachusetts People from Frankfort, New York People from Quincy, Michigan