Ahiman Louis Miner (September 23, 1804 – July 19, 1886) was an American politician. He served 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

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 ...

Biography

Miner was born in Middletown,

Rutland County, Vermont Rutland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,572, making it the second-most populous county in Vermont. Its county seat and most populous municipality is the city of Rutland. ...

, to Gideon Lewis Miner and Rachel Davison Miner. He attended the common schools and Castleton Academy. He worked on his father's farm when he was a young man. He studied law in Poultney and

Rutland, Vermont Rutland, Vermont may refer to: *Rutland (city), Vermont * Rutland (town), Vermont *Rutland County, Vermont *West Rutland, Vermont West Rutland is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. The t ...

. Miner was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1832 and began the

practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...

in Wallingford. He practiced law in Wallingford from 1833 until 1836. He moved to

Manchester, Vermont Manchester is a town in, and one of two shire towns (county seats) of, Bennington County, Vermont. The population was 4,484 at the 2020 census. Manchester Village, an incorporated village, and Manchester Center are settlement centers within ...

, in 1835 and continued the practice of law. He served as clerk of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

from 1836 until 1838. He served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1838, 1839, 1846, 1853, 1861 and from 1865 until 1868. Miner served in the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

in 1840. He was

state's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

for

Bennington County Bennington County is a county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,347. The shire towns (county seats) are jointly Bennington ("The Southshire") and Manchester ("The Northshire"), and the largest municipal ...

from 1843 until 1844. He then served as register of

probate Probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased, or whereby the estate is settled according to the laws of intestacy in the sta ...

for seven years, and as judge of probate from 1846 until 1849. He was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

from 1846 until 1886. Miner was elected as a Whig candidate to the

Thirty-second Congress The 32nd 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, 1851, ...

, serving from March 4, 1851, until March 3, 1853. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1852. After leaving Congress he resumed the practice of law.

Death and legacy

Miner died on July 19, 1886, in

. He is interred at Dellwood Cemetery in Manchester. The University of Vermont has a collection of papers titled "The Ahiman L. Miner Papers" that includes Miner's correspondence, legal documents and financial documents from 1800 to 1897.

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
*

Govtrack.us

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miner, Ahiman Louis 1804 births 1886 deaths Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont state senators Vermont state court judges Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont 19th-century American politicians People from Manchester, Vermont 19th-century American judges