Amasa Dana (October 19, 1792 – December 24, 1867) was an American lawyer and politician who served two non-consecutive terms 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 from 1839 to 1841, and from 1843 to 1845.

Biography

Born in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...

, Dana was the son of Aziel Dana and Rebecca (Cory) Dana. He attended private schools and Dana Academy in Wilkes-Barre, studied law with his uncle Eleazer Dana in

Owego, New York Owego is a town in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 18,728 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the Iroquois word ''Ahwaga'', meaning "where the valley widens". Owego is in the southeastern corner of the cou ...

, attained admission to the bar in 1817 and practiced in Owego.

Political career

Dana moved to

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 ...

in 1821 and continued the practice of law. He served as district attorney of Tompkins County from 1823 to 1837. He served as member of the New York State Assembly in 1828 and 1829. He served as president and trustee of the village of Ithaca in 1835, 1836, and 1839. In 1837, Dana was elected judge of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

of Tompkins County. He was elected as a

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 ...

to the

Twenty-sixth Congress The 26th 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, 183 ...

(March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1840, and resumed the practice of law. From 1842 to 1843, Dana served as Ithaca's town supervisor.

Tenure in Congress

Dana was elected to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845). During this term, he served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy. He resumed practicing law, and also engaged in banking and business, including serving as president of the Tompkins County National Bank. He died in

, on December 24, 1867. He was interred in Ithaca City Cemetery.

Family

In 1828, Dana married Mary Harper Speed, the daughter of Doctor Joseph Speed of

Caroline, New York Caroline is a town in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 3,282 at the 2010 census. The Town of Caroline is on the county's southeast border and is southeast of Ithaca. History The area was first settled ''circa'' 1794 ...

. They had no children.

References

Sources

Books

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External links

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Amasa Dana
at The Political Graveyard {{DEFAULTSORT:Dana, Amasa 1792 births 1867 deaths Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state court judges Politicians from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania County district attorneys in New York (state) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges