Samuel Hays (September 10, 1783July 1, 1868) was an American politician who served as a Democratic 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 ...

for

Pennsylvania's 22nd congressional district Pennsylvania's 22nd congressional district was one of Pennsylvania's districts of the United States House of Representatives. Geography Created in 1833, the district served portions of the city of Pittsburgh. In 1843 the district moved to northwe ...

from 1843 to 1845.

Biography

Samuel Hays was born in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

in the

Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed from ...

. In 1792, he emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

with his mother, and settled in

Franklin, Pennsylvania Franklin is a city and the county seat of Venango County, Pennsylvania. The population was 6,097 in the 2020 census. Franklin is part of the Oil City, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Franklin is known for its three-day autumn festival in Oc ...

. He served as treasurer of

Venango County, Pennsylvania Venango County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,454. Its county seat is Franklin. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1805. Venango County comprises the Oil Cit ...

in 1808. He was elected sheriff of Venango County in 1808, 1820, 1829, and in 1833. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1813, 1816; 1823, and 1825, and served in the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

for the 22nd district from 1839 to 1842. He was a member of the board of trustees of

Allegheny College he, תגל ערבה ותפרח כחבצלת , mottoeng = "Add to your faith, virtue and to your faith, knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5)"The desert shall rejoice and the blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1) , faculty = 193 ...

in Meadville, Pennsylvania, from 1837 to 1861. He served as brigadier general, commanding the First Brigade, Seventeenth Division, Pennsylvania Militia, from 1841 to 1843. Hays was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1844. He was engaged in iron manufactures, operating furnaces on French Creek, near Franklin. In 1847, he was appointed

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

for the western district of Pennsylvania. He served as associate judge of the district court in 1856. He died in Franklin in 1868, interment in Old Town Cemetery and reinterment in Franklin Cemetery. Hays' son, Major General Alexander Hays, was a noteworthy Union Army officer during the US Civil War and close personal friend of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

Footnotes

Sources

The Political Graveyard
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hays, Samuel 1783 births 1868 deaths 19th-century American judges 19th-century American politicians Burials in Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Irish emigrants (before 1923) to the United States Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania district justices Pennsylvania National Guard personnel Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Franklin, Pennsylvania Politicians from County Donegal United States Marshals