Samuel Paynter (August 24, 1768 – October 2, 1845) was an American merchant and politician from Drawbridge, in

Broadkill Hundred Broadkill Hundred (later Broadkiln Hundred) is a hundred in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Broadkill Hundred was formed in 1696 as one of the original Delaware Hundreds. Originally known as Broadkill Hundred after the Broadkill River, th ...

Sussex County, Delaware Sussex County is located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware, on the Delmarva Peninsula. As of the 2020 census, the population was 237,378. The county seat is Georgetown. The first European settlement in the state of Delaware w ...

. He was a member of the

Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. De ...

, who served in the

Delaware General Assembly The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legisla ...

and as

Governor of Delaware A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

Early life and family

Paynter was born at Drawbridge in

, son of Samuel and Meritta Hazzard Paynter. His ancestor, Richard Paynter came to

Lewes, Delaware Lewes ( ) is an incorporated city on the Delaware Bay in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747. Along with neighboring Rehoboth Beach, Lewes is one of the principal cities of Delawar ...

before 1700, and his grandfather, Samuel Paynter, bought land in

in 1732. Samuel, our subject, married Elizabeth Rowland in 1796 and they had six children, Mary, Elizabeth, Sally, Samuel Rowland, John Parker, and Alfred Shockley. They were members of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

Professional and political career

Drawbridge, as its name suggests, was the point at which land traffic crossed the

Broadkill River The Broadkill River is a river flowing to Delaware Bay in southern Delaware in the United States. It is long and drains an area of on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The Broadkill flows for its entire length in eastern Sussex County. It issues fro ...

, about halfway from

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

to the

Delaware Bay Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States. It is approximately in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltwater of the Atlantic Ocean. The bay is bordered inlan ...

. It is where State Route 1 crosses the

today. Paynter's father, another Samuel, established a general store there. The business was quite successful, and made the family wealthy enough for Samuel Jr. to be a director of the Farmer's Bank at Georgetown for 25 years. Paynter was a member of the

like the majority in Sussex County. While elsewhere the

Federalists 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 de ...

were declining as an effective political force, in lower Delaware they organized themselves well, and were far more acceptable to the agrarian, Anglican and Methodist establishment, than the Irish Presbyterians who dominated the majority

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

in very different

New Castle County New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

. Statewide elections were competitive, but the three counties were similar in population, and so the

almost always won, both in the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

and governorship. Paynter was, therefore, in the majority in his long years of experience in the

. Elected first in 1796, he served in the state house for four sessions from 1797 through 1800. He was then elected to the state senate in 1806 and served in seven sessions from 1807 through 1813. Finally, he served in the state senate again in the 1823 session. Defeating his neighbor from

David Hazzard David Hazzard (May 18, 1781 – July 8, 1864) was an American merchant and politician from Milton, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, then the National Republican Party, and finally the Whig Party. ...

, the

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

candidate, Paynter was elected

in 1823 and served from January 20, 1824 until January 16, 1827. During his tenure as governor construction finally began on the new

Chesapeake and Delaware Canal The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal (C&D Canal) is a -long, -wide and -deep ship canal that connects the Delaware River with the Chesapeake Bay in the states of Delaware and Maryland in the United States. In the mid‑17th century, mapmaker Augus ...

. After his term ended he returned to his home and mercantile business at Drawbridge.

Death and legacy

Paynter died at Drawbridge in

, Sussex County, and is buried in the St. Peter's Episcopal Churchyard at

. His son, Samuel R. Paynter, also served in the

Almanac

Elections were held the first Tuesday of October. Members of the

took office the first Tuesday of January. State senators had a three-year term and state representatives had a one-year term. The governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and had a three-year term.

References

* * * *

Images

Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery
''Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover.''

External links

Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paynter, Samuel 1768 births 1845 deaths 18th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American Episcopalians People from Lewes, Delaware Delaware Federalists Members of the Delaware House of Representatives Delaware state senators Governors of Delaware Burials in Sussex County, Delaware Federalist Party state governors of the United States