Elisha Litchfield (July 12, 1785

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

Windham County, Connecticut Windham County is a County (United States), county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 116,418, making it the least populous county in Connect ...

– August 4, 1859 Cazenovia,

Madison County, New York Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,016. Its county seat is Wampsville. The county is named after James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, and was f ...

) was an American merchant and politician from

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Life

He attended the common schools, and learned the carpenter's trade. In November 1808, he married Percy Tiffany (d. 1827), and they had five children, among them Edwin Clark Litchfield (1815–1885Joseph Alexoiou. ''Gowanus. Brooklyn's curious canal''. New York & London: NYU Press. 2015. pp. 128-155). In 1812, he removed to

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The orac ...

. He fought in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

and was promoted to Major. 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 s ...

and Supervisor of

Onondaga County Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. Onondaga County is the core of the Syracuse, NY MSA. History The name ''Onondaga'' derives from ...

. He abandoned

carpentry Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters t ...

, and became a merchant. He was appointed Postmaster of Delphi on November 28, 1817, and served until June 25, 1821. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

in 1819. Litchfield was elected as a

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 ...

to the 17th, and as a Crawford Democratic-Republican to the

18th United States Congress The 18th 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, 1823, ...

, holding office from December 3, 1821, to March 3, 1825. In 1828, he married Lucy Bacon, widow of Dr. Enos Bacon, and they had four children. He was again a member of the State Assembly in 1831, 1832, 1833 and 1844, and was

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

in 1844. Afterwards he removed to Cazenovia and died there on August 4, 1859. He was buried at the City Cemetery in Delphi Falls. His son Edwin C. Litchfield ran for Congress as a Democrat in 1858 in the 2nd District, but was defeated by Republican James Humphrey.

References

Sources

''The New England Historical and Genealogical Register''
published by the

New England Historic Genealogical Society The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in 1845. NEHGS provides family history services through its staff, original scholarship, website,''The Nominee of the Second Congressional District''
in NYT on October 6, 1858
''EDWIN C. LITCHFIELD''
obit in NYT on July 23, 1885 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Litchfield, Elisha 1785 births 1859 deaths People from Canterbury, Connecticut Speakers of the New York State Assembly People from Pompey, New York New York (state) postmasters American military personnel of the War of 1812 People from Cazenovia, New York Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians American carpenters