Elijah Hunt Mills (December 1, 1776May 5, 1829) was an
American politician from
.
Early life
Mills was born in
Chesterfield, Massachusetts
Chesterfield is a rural hill town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, east of Pittsfield and west of Boston. The population was 1,186 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Ar ...
. He was educated by private tutors and 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 ...
in 1797. Mills studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571.
Northampton is known as an acade ...
.
Career
He was the
district 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 l ...
for
Hampshire County, Massachusetts, and opened
Northampton Law School Northampton Law School (sometimes called the Howe and Mills Law School) was a school for legal education and was located in Northampton, Massachusetts. Though open for only a few years in the 1820s, it produced several prominent alumni, including P ...
in 1823. Mills was also a founding member of the
American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...
in 1812.
He was a member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
(1811–1814). Mills 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 de ...
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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
(March 4, 1815 - March 3, 1819). In 1819 he returned to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he became
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
in 1820. He was elected 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 pow ...
in 1820 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
Prentiss Mellen
Prentiss Mellen (October 11, 1764December 31, 1840) was a lawyer, politician, and jurist from Massachusetts and Maine. Born in Massachusetts and educated at Harvard, Mellen served for two years as a United States Senator from Massachusetts, an ...
. Mills was reelected and served from June 12, 1820, to March 3, 1827. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in
1826
Events January–March
* January 15 – The French newspaper ''Le Figaro'' begins publication in Paris, initially as a weekly.
* January 30 – The Menai Suspension Bridge, built by engineer Thomas Telford, is opened between the island o ...
. He retired from public life due to ill health.
Personal life
Mills was first married to Sarah Hunt (1780–1802), a daughter of Dr. Ebenezer Hunt and Sarah ( Bradish) Hunt, on May 16, 1802. Sarah died a few months later on October 2, 1802. Mills later married Harriet Blake (1780–1871), a daughter of merchant Joseph Blake and Deborah ( Smith) Blake. With his second wife, Mills was the father of seven children, including:
* Helen Sophia Mills (1806–1844), who married Hon.
Charles Phelps Huntington.
* Sarah Hunt Mills (1808–1887), who married Prof.
Benjamin Peirce, the father of
Charles Sanders Peirce
Charles Sanders Peirce ( ; September 10, 1839 – April 19, 1914) was an American philosopher, logician, mathematician and scientist who is sometimes known as "the father of pragmatism".
Educated as a chemist and employed as a scientist for t ...
.
[Adams, Henry. ''The Life of George Cabot Lodge''. pg. 4-5. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1911]
* Elijah Hunt Mills Jr. (1810–1830), who died unmarried in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
.
* Charles Henry Mills (1813–1872), a merchant who married Anna Cabot Lowell
Dwight Dwight may refer to:
People
* Dwight (given name)
* Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th president of the United States and former military officer
*New England Dwight family of American educators, military and political leaders, and authors
* ...
(1818–1880), a daughters of Edmund Dwight.
* William Kilby Mills (1815–1855), an invalid for the last 20 years of his life; he died unmarried.
* Harriette Blake Mills (1818–1892), who married Admiral
Charles Henry Davis.
* George Francis Mills (1821–1829), who died young.
Mills died on May 5, 1829 in Northampton, and was interred in the Bridge Street Cemetery. His widow died at Cambridge on February 9, 1871.
Descendants
Through his daughter Harriette, he was a grandfather of Anna Cabot Mills Davis, who married U.S. Senator
Henry Cabot Lodge
Henry Cabot Lodge (May 12, 1850 November 9, 1924) was an American Republican politician, historian, and statesman from Massachusetts. He served in the United States Senate from 1893 to 1924 and is best known for his positions on foreign policy. ...
. One of their sons, poet
George Cabot Lodge, was the father of U.S. Senators
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (July 5, 1902 – February 27, 1985) was an American diplomat and Republican United States senator from Massachusetts in both Senate seats in non-consecutive terms of service and a United States ambassador. He was considered ...
and
John Davis Lodge
John Davis Lodge (October 20, 1903 – October 29, 1985) was an American film actor, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was the 79th governor of Connecticut from 1951 to 1955, and later served as U.S. ambassador to Spain, Argentina, and Swit ...
.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Elijah H
1776 births
1829 deaths
People from Chesterfield, Massachusetts
American people of English descent
Massachusetts National Republicans
Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts
Federalist Party United States senators from Massachusetts
National Republican Party United States senators from Massachusetts
Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
County district attorneys in Massachusetts
Members of the American Antiquarian Society
Williams College alumni
Burials in Massachusetts