Henry Black (February 25, 1783 – November 28, 1841) was a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Early life

Henry Black was born near the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

Somerset, Pennsylvania Somerset is a borough in and the county seat of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,046 at the 2020 census. The borough is surrounded by Somerset Township. Somerset is just off Exit 110 of the Pennsylvania Turnpi ...

. He engaged in agricultural pursuits.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

He served as 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 1816 to 1818. He was elected as a Democrat in 1816. 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 ...

and appointed by the

Governor of Pennsylvania A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

as an associate judge of

Somerset County, Pennsylvania Somerset County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania German: ''Somerset Kaundi'') is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the po ...

, from 1820 to 1840.

Electoral Tickets

Black was on the People's Ticket (electoral ticket) for the Election of 1828, in the 13th district (

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...

for President and Richard Rush for Vice President). He was also on the Whig Electoral Ticket for the 24th district in the Election of 1840.

United States House of Representatives

Black was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles Ogle. The election was held on Tuesday, June 8, 1841. The vote for Black was approximately 2,703 with the opposition (party not named) getting 1,320 votes (Black receiving a majority of 1,383 more votes). The ''Daily Atlas'' lists the opposition candidate's name as "Pilson". (However, the same newspaper listed a "Mr. Philson of Somerset" as the opponent in the special election to replace Black after his death.)

Death

Black served in the House of Representatives until his death at his residence in Somerset in 1841. The cause of death was apoplexy.

Memorials

Interment in the family cemetery in

Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania Stonycreek Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The township takes its name from the stony creek, which flows through it and represents its western boundary. The stream takes its name from the rocky bed over which it flows for ...

Cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

On Thursday, December 9, 1841, his colleague Representative Joseph Lawrence took to the House floor to announce Black's death and provide a eulogy. Lawrence stated that Black was well liked by anyone who came into contact with him. Lawrence indicated that Black was his childhood friend. Lawrence also stated that Black had been in good health the day before his death. Lawrence then submitted a resolution that crepe should be worn in honor of Black's death. The resolution was adopted. According to the Philadelphia U.S. Gazette (reprinted in the Easton Gazette), he was virtuous and well liked.

Descendants

His son was

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Jeremiah S. Black Jeremiah Sullivan Black (January 10, 1810 – August 19, 1883) was an American statesman and lawyer. He served as a justice on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (1851–1857) and as the Court's Chief Justice (1851–1854). He also served in the ...

and his grandson was Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Chauncey Forward Black.

References

The Political Graveyard

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Henry 1783 births 1841 deaths Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives People from Somerset County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state court judges Burials at the Congressional Cemetery Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges