Stephen Lorenzo Mayham (October 8, 1826 – March 3, 1908) was an attorney and politician from

Schoharie County, New York Schoharie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county seat is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning "f ...

. He was most notable for his service as a

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

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

Early life

Stephen L. Mayham was born in Blenheim, New York on October 8, 1826, a son of John and Betsey (Ferguson) Mayham. Mayham was one of twelve children, eleven of whom survived to adulthood. His siblings included Thomas Friend Mayham, a physician who served as mayor of

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Fond du Lac () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 44,678 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Fond du Lac United States metrop ...

. Another brother, Jay Mayham, served as judge of the

Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Fond du Lac County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 104,154. Its county seat is Fond du Lac. The county was created in the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and later organized in 1844. Fond du La ...

court. Mayham's brother J. Banks Mayham served as mayor of Murphysboro, Illinois. Mayham worked on his family's farm while attending the local schools. He obtained his teaching credentials, and at age eighteen began working a teacher in the district schools. In 1844 he began studying law at the

Gilboa, New York Gilboa is a town in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The population was 1,215 at the 2000 census. The Town of Gilboa is in the southern part of the county and is southwest of Albany. History The town was first settled around 1760. ...

Gilboa office of attorney Samuel W. Jackson, who later served as a justice of the

. He completed his studies at the

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

office of Samuel Love and George G. Freer, attained admission to the bar in 1848, and began to practice in Blenheim.

Start of career

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 ...

, Mayham served as

Schoharie County Schoharie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county seat is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning "f ...

's superintendent of schools from 1852 to 1857. From 1858 to 1860 he was Blenheim's

town supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

. From 1859 to 1862 he served as District Attorney of Schoharie County. In 1862, he moved to Schoharie, and in 1863, he served a one-year term in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

. In 1868, Mayham was elected to the

United States 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. He served in the

41st Congress The 41st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1869, ...

, March 4, 1869 to March 3, 1871. During this term, he served on the Committee on Private Land Claims and the Committee on Expenditures of the State and Post Office Departments. In 1876 he was elected to the

45th Congress The 45th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1877, ...

, March 4, 1877 to March 3, 1879. During this term, he was a member of the Committee on the District of Columbia and the Committee on State Department Expenditures.

Later career

Mayham served as judge of the Schoharie County Court and the county surrogate court from 1883 to 1887. He was also a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1884 and again in 1892. In 1886, Mayham was elected a justice of the

, and he served until 1897. Mayham was president of Schoharie's board of education for eight years, and was the first president of the Schoharie Valley Railroad Company. After leaving the bench, he practiced law in partnership with his son Claude, and was often sought out to act as a referee for corporate and railroad litigation.

Death and burial

Mayham died in

Schoharie, New York Schoharie ( ) is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in and the county seat of Schoharie County, New York, Schoharie County, New York (state), New York. The population was 3,299 at the 2000 census. The Town of Schoh ...

on March 3, 1908. He was buried at St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery in Schoharie.

Family

In 1849, Mayham married Julia A. Martin (1829-1895). They were the parents of sons F. Matt, Don S., and Claude B., and daughter Ida L.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayham, Stephen Lorenzo 1826 births 1908 deaths Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) New York Supreme Court Justices People from Schoharie County, New York 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges