Almon Heath Read (June 12, 1790 – June 3, 1844) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the

U.S. 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 ...

for

Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district is represented by Democrat Conor Lamb. The district encompasses the entirety of Beaver County, a small portion of southwestern Butler County, and all parts of Allegheny County not part of the 18th d ...

from 1842 to 1843 and

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, which includes Pittsburgh and much of Allegheny County. It has been represented since January 3, 2023 by Summer Lee. Prior to 2018, the 12th district was locate ...

from 1843 to 1844. He served in both houses of the Pennsylvania legislature and as

Pennsylvania State Treasurer The Pennsylvania State Treasurer is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of state government. The state treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two consecutive terms. The Pennsylva ...

Early life and education

Read was born in

Shelburne, Vermont Shelburne is a New England town, town in Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located along the shores of Lake Champlain, Shelburne's town center lies approximately south of the city center of Burlington, Vermont, ...

. He graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

in 1811. He served as county clerk from 1815 to 1820. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1816 and commenced practice in

Montrose, Pennsylvania Montrose is a borough in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, south-southeast of Binghamton, New York and north by west of Scranton. The land is elevated approximately 1,400 feet (427 m) above sea level. It is the Susquehanna Count ...

Career

He was a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1827 to 1832. He served in the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

for the

11th district 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

from 1833 to 1837 and as

from 1840 to 1841. Read was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Davis Dimock, Jr. He was reelected to the Twenty-eighth Congress and served until his death in Montrose in 1844. Interment in Montrose Cemetery.

Notes

Sources

The Political Graveyard
, - , - 1790 births 1844 deaths 19th-century American politicians Burials in Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania lawyers Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Shelburne, Vermont People from the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area State treasurers of Pennsylvania Williams College alumni 19th-century American lawyers {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub

Early life and education

Career

See also

Notes

Sources