Samuel Hurd Walley (August 31, 1805 – August 27, 1877) was a Massachusetts businessman and politician who served as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as a member of the

U.S. 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 c ...

from Massachusetts.

Early life

Walley was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Samuel Hall Walley and Miriam (Phillips) Walley. Walley was the grandson of

William Phillips, Jr. William Phillips Jr. (April 10, 1750 – May 26, 1827) was a Boston merchant, politician and philanthropist. Phillips was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of William Phillips Sr. He joined his father in business and became wealthy. He was ...

, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1812 to 1823, and was a descendant of Rev. George Phillips of Watertown, the progenitor of the New England Phillips family in America.

Family

Walley was married twice. Walley married his first wife Mehetable Sumner Bates on October 14, 1829, they had ten children, Mehetable Walley died December 2, 1853. Walley's second wife was Ann Gray Hawes.

Education

Walley attended the common schools and

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

, Andover, Massachusetts. Walley attended Yale College in 1822. Walley entered Harvard at the beginning of his sophomore year. Walley graduated from

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1826.

Business career

After he left college Walley studied law and was admitted to the Suffolk bar in 1831. Walley practiced in Boston and Roxbury. Walley engaged in banking, he took a prominent part in the organization of the Suffolk Savings Bank. Walley was involved in the creation of the Revere National Bank, and from 1870 until his death he served as its first President. Walley was involved in railroad development he was the Treasurer of the Vermont Central Railroad, treasurer of the Ogdensburg railroad and a promoter and first treasurer of the Wisconsin Central Railroad.

Political offices

Walley served as member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1836 and 1840–1846, serving as speaker 1844–1846. Walley served as a corporate member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions 1848–1867. Walley was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-third Congress (March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855). Walley was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1854 to the Thirty-fourth Congress. Walley was an unsuccessful Whig candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 1855.

Death

Walley died at

Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts Nantasket Beach is a beach in the town of Hull, Massachusetts. It is part of the Nantasket Beach Reservation, administered by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. The shore has fine, light gray sand and is one of the busiest bea ...

, on August 27, 1877.

References

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walley, Samuel Hurd 1805 births 1877 deaths Yale College alumni Harvard University alumni Phillips family (New England) Speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts 19th-century American legislators