Samuel Ingham (September 5, 1793 – November 10, 1881) was a two-term Congressman from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. He is not to be confused with the former Secretary of the Treasury

Samuel D. Ingham Samuel Delucenna Ingham (September 16, 1779 – June 5, 1860) was a state legislator, judge, U.S. Representative and served as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Andrew Jackson. Early life and education Ingham was born near New Hope, Pe ...

. He was born in

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after East J ...

on September 5, 1793. He attended the common schools in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, studied law with

John Mattocks John Mattocks (March 4, 1777 – August 14, 1847) was an American Whig Party (United States), Whig politician, a brigadier general in the War of 1812, U.S. Representative, and 16th governor of Vermont. Biography Mattocks was born in Hartford, Co ...

and

Sylvester Gilbert Sylvester Gilbert (October 20, 1755 – January 2, 1846) was a United States representative from Connecticut. He was born in Hebron, Connecticut. He pursued classical studies and was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1775. Later, he studied la ...

, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in

Canaan, Vermont Canaan is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 896 at the 2020 census. Canaan contains the village of Beecher Falls, located at the confluence of the Connecticut River and Halls Stream. It is part of the Berlin, ...

. He moved to

Jewett City, Connecticut Jewett City is a borough in New London County, Connecticut, in the town of Griswold. The population was 3,487 at the 2010 census. The borough was named for Eliezer Jewett, who founded a settlement there in 1771. Geography According to the Uni ...

and in 1819, to

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

(then part of Saybrook), Connecticut, and continued the practice of his profession. He served as State's attorney for Middlesex County, and was a member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...

(serving as speaker in 1833, 1835 and 1851). He served as judge of probate judge of the Middlesex County Court. Ingham was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-fourth Congress and reelected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Twenty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1839). He was chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs (Twenty-fifth Congress). He was defeated for re-election in 1839 to the Twenty-sixth Congress. He served in the

Connecticut Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sena ...

in 1842, 1846, and 1850. He served as President pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate and was four times the Democratic nominee for governor of Connecticut (1854–57). Although he finished in first place twice, winning a plurality of more than 10% both times (

1854 Events January–March * January 4 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the ''Samarang''. * January 6 – The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is perhaps born. * January 9 – The Teut ...

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voyag ...

), lacking a popular majority, the legislature chose a different candidate. He was also an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1854. He served as United States commissioner of customs from December 5, 1857, to May 14, 1861, resumed the practice of law, and died in Essex on November 10, 1881. His interment was in River View Cemetery. His daughter Lydia Ann Ingham was the wife of James Phelps, who also served in Congress. His daughter Mary Wilson Ingham married Edward Champlin Williams, a merchant sea captain.

References

The Political Graveyard
Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Connecticut lawyers Connecticut state court judges 1793 births 1881 deaths Presidents pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate Democratic Party Connecticut state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut 19th-century American politicians People from Jewett City, Connecticut People from Hebron, Connecticut {{Connecticut-state-judge-stub