Samuel Livermore (May 14, 1732May 18, 1803) was a

U.S. 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 territo ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was a U.S. Senator from

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. ...

from 1793 to 1801 and served as

President pro tempore of the United States Senate The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the vice president. According to Article One, Section Three of the United ...

in 1796 and again in 1799.

Life and career

Livermore was born in Waltham in the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of E ...

, the son of Hannah (Brown) and Samuel Livermore, and attended Waltham schools. He graduated from the College of New Jersey (now

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...

) in 1752, then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1756, and commenced practice in Waltham. He moved to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dense ...

, in 1758 and later to Londonderry. He was a member of the

New Hampshire General Court The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 member ...

(the state's general assembly) 1768–1769. He was judge-advocate in the Admiralty court and

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

from 1769 to 1774. He moved to

Holderness Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the north-east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common wit ...

in 1775 and was State attorney for three years. Livermore was a Member of the Continental Congress from 1780 to 1782 and again from 1785 to 1786. He was chief justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court of Judicature from 1782 to 1789, and a member of the State constitutional convention in 1788. He 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for the

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and

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Congresses, serving from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1793. He was chairman of the House Committee on Elections in the Second Congress. Livermore was president of the State constitutional convention in 1791 and in 1792 was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of d ...

to 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 power ...

and was reelected in 1798 and served from March 4, 1793, until his resignation effective June 12, 1801, due to ill health. He served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Fourth and Sixth Congresses. The defunct town of

Livermore, New Hampshire Livermore is an unincorporated civil township and ghost town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It was briefly inhabited as a logging town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The site of the former village is about west of N ...

was named after him. Livermore died in Holderness, New Hampshire, and is interred in Trinity Churchyard there. He is featured on a New Hampshire historical marker ( number 39) along

New Hampshire Route 175 New Hampshire Route 175 (NH 175) is a state highway in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The highway runs north from an intersection in Holderness with U.S. Route 3 and New Hampshire Route 25 to an intersection with US 3 in Woodstock. NH 175 i ...

in Holderness. Livermore was the father of Arthur Livermore, a U.S. Representative from New Hampshire, and Edward St. Loe Livermore, a U.S. Representative from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Livermore, Samuel 1732 births 1803 deaths Politicians from Waltham, Massachusetts People of colonial Massachusetts American people of English descent Continental Congressmen from New Hampshire Anti-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire Pro-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire Pro-Administration Party United States senators from New Hampshire Federalist Party United States senators from New Hampshire New Hampshire Federalists Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate Chief Justices of the New Hampshire Supreme Court 18th-century American judges People from Holderness, New Hampshire 18th-century American lawyers Princeton University alumni 19th-century American Episcopalians Members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire