Paul Fearing (February 28, 1762 – August 21, 1822) was an American politician who served as a delegate 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from the Northwest Territory.

Early life and education

Fearing was born in Wareham,

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of ...

. He was prepared for college by tutors and graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1785. He studied law in

Windham, Connecticut Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the former city of Willimantic as well as the boroughs of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. Willimantic, an incorporated city since 1893, was consol ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1787.

Career

He moved to the Northwest Territory in May 1788 and engaged in the practice of law at

Fort Harmar Fort Harmar was an early United States frontier military fort, built in pentagonal shape during 1785 at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers, on the west side of the mouth of the Muskingum River. It was built under the orders of Colone ...

, now a part of

Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Ohio, United States. It is located in southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, Ma ...

. He was the first lawyer to practice in the Northwest Territory. Fearing was appointed the United States counsel for Washington County in 1788 and a probate judge in 1797. He was a member of the Territorial legislature from 1799 to 1801. He was elected as a Federalist a Delegate to the Seventh Congress (March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1802. He resumed the practice of law and engaged in fruit and stock raising. He was appointed associate judge of the court of common pleas in 1810 and served seven years. He was appointed master in chancery in 1814. Fearing was elected a 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 i ...

in 1816.

Death

He died at his home near

in 1822. He was buried in Harmar Cemetery, Marietta.

Early life and education

Career

Death

References

Further reading