Levi Starr Chatfield (March 7, 1808 – August 4, 1884) was an American lawyer and politician.

Life

He was the son of Enos Chatfield (1782–1858) and Hannah (Starr) Chatfield (1782–1857). He was born in that part of the Town of Butternuts which in 1849 was separated as the Town of Morris, in Otsego County, New York. When the Village of Laurens was incorporated in 1834, he was chosen its first Town Clerk. He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Otsego Co.) in

1839 Events January–March * January 2 – The first photograph of the Moon is taken, by French photographer Louis Daguerre. * January 6 – Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in 300 years. * January 9 – ...

1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janu ...

1841 Events January–March * January 20 – Charles Elliot of the United Kingdom, and Qishan of the Qing dynasty, agree to the Convention of Chuenpi. * January 26 – Britain occupies Hong Kong. Later in the year, the first census of the i ...

and

1842 Events January–March * January ** Michael Alexander takes office, as the first appointee to the Anglican-German Bishopric in Jerusalem. ** American medical student William E. Clarke of Berkshire Medical College becomes the first pe ...

, 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: ** I ...

in 1842. He was one of the first trustees of the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

church of Laurens when it was organized on January 16, 1844. He was a delegate to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

in 1846. In

1847 Events January–March * January 4 – Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the U.S. government. * January 13 – The Treaty of Cahuenga ends fighting in the Mexican–American War in California. * January 16 – John C. Frémont ...

, he ran for Attorney General on the Democratic ticket, but was defeated by Whig/ Anti-Rent candidate Ambrose L. Jordan. In

1849 Events January–March * January 1 – France begins issue of the Ceres series, the nation's first postage stamps. * January 5 – Hungarian Revolution of 1848: The Austrian army, led by Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz, enters in th ...

, he was elected

New York State Attorney General The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government o ...

, and re-elected in 1851. He was in office from 1850 to 1853 when he resigned three weeks before the end of the term. In 1853-54, he was the major stockholder of the

Atlantic and Pacific Railroad The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was a U.S. railroad that owned or operated two disjointed segments, one connecting St. Louis, Missouri with Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the other connecting Albuquerque, New Mexico with Needles in Southern Californi ...

. In 1869, he appeared for the plaintiff David Groesbeck in a suit against the Trinity Church "incorporators". In 1871, he married Elizabeth C. Browne (1843–1917). Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Andrew G. Chatfield (1810–1875) was his brother.

Sources

His argument in the Trinity Church Suit, in NYT on June 13, 1869

Political Graveyard

Short mention

"Disclosures" about the A&P Railroad, NYT June 15, 1854

Church history at Rootsweb

Officers of Laurens Village at NY History

Resignation of NYSAG Carmody, mentioning Chatfield, in NYT on July 21, 1914

''The Selected Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony'' (page 167; Rutgers University Press, , ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chatfield, Levi S 1808 births 1884 deaths People from Morris, New York Speakers of the New York State Assembly New York State Attorneys General 19th-century American railroad executives 19th-century American politicians