Meredith Mallory (January 31, 1781 – September 22, 1855) was an American politician who served one term 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.

Biography

Born in

Watertown, Connecticut Watertown is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 22,105 at the 2020 census. The ZIP codes for Watertown are 06795 (for most of the town) and 06779 (for the Oakville section). It is a suburb of Waterbury. ...

on January 31, 1781, Mallory attended the common schools and relocated to Yates County, New York, where he worked as a wheelwright and farmed.

Military service

During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

he served as a

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in New York's 42nd Regiment of Militia.

Political career

He was elected Benton, New York's Town Assessor in 1819, and served as

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

in 1820. He later moved to

Hammondsport, New York Hammondsport is a village at the south end of Keuka Lake, in Steuben County, one of the Finger Lakes of New York, United States. The Village of Hammondsport is in the Town of Urbana and is northeast of Bath. History Lazarus Hammond founded ...

, where he owned and operated a mill and held several local offices. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1835, and a Justice of the Peace in 1838. In 1837 he was active in organizing residents in the Southern Tier to lobby the

New York and Lake Erie Railroad The New York & Lake Erie is a class III railroad operating in Western New York. The NYLE was formed in 1978 to operate a portion of former Erie trackage that Conrail no longer wanted. Today, the railroad operates between Gowanda to Conewango ...

to create the Cohocton Route, which aided in the economic development of New York's central and southwestern counties.

Congress

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 (March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841).

Later career

He was not a candidate for reelection and returned to his business ventures in Hammondsport. In the mid-1840s his finances became overextended and his mills and other properties were sold to satisfy his debts. He later moved to

Batavia, Illinois Batavia () is a city mainly in Kane County and partly in DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in the Chicago metropolitan area, it was founded in 1833 and is the oldest city in Kane County. Per the 2020 census, the population w ...

, which was then a village, where he was a partner with his son in law in a dam, mills, machine shops and farms. He also served as a member of Batavia Township's Town Council.

Death

Mallory died in Batavia on September 22, 1855. He was buried in West Batavia Cemetery.United States House of Representatives
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References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallory, Meredith 1781 births 1855 deaths American militiamen in the War of 1812 American militia officers People from Watertown, Connecticut People from Benton, New York People from Hammondsport, New York People from Batavia, Illinois Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians Military personnel from Illinois