Samuel Dana (June 26, 1767 – November 20, 1835) was an American lawyer and politician who served in both branches of the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from th ...

, as

President of the Massachusetts Senate The president of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. Unlike the United States Congress, in which the vice president of the United States is the ''ex officio'' president of the United States Senate, in Massachusetts, the president of ...

and as a

United States 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 ...

from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

Early life and education

Dana was born in Groton in the

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 ...

on June 26, 1767, the son of the clergyman Samuel and Anna (Kenrick) Dana. Dana attended the local public schools and later studied law in the office of United States District Court Judge

John Lowell John Lowell (June 17, 1743 – May 6, 1802) was a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation, a Judge of the Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture under the Articles of Confederation, a United States district judge of the United States Distr ...

, and was then admitted to the bar in 1789.

Career

Dana practiced law in

Groton, Massachusetts Groton is a town in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, within the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The population was 11,315 at the 2020 census. It is home to two prep schools: Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1 ...

and later in Charlestown, Massachusetts. On October 14, 1811 Dana also was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Court of Common Pleas, he held that position for nine years. Dana was appointed postmaster January 1, 1801, he served as a member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

in 1803 in the

State senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

and served as

. Dana served as attorney for Middlesex County from 1807 to 1811.

Member of Congress

Dana 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 Thirteenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William M. Richardson. Dana served from September 22, 1814 to March 3, 1815. Dana was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1814 to the Fourteenth Congress.

Later life

After his congressional service Dana resumed the practice law. Dana was a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1820. Dana was again a member of the

from 1825-1827.

Personal life

On December 5, 1795, Dana was married to Rebecca Barrett of

New Ipswich, New Hampshire New Ipswich is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,204 at the 2020 census. New Ipswich, situated on the Massachusetts border, includes the villages of Bank, Davis, Gibson Four Corners, Highbridge, New ...

. Together, they had eight children, including a son, James Dana. Dana died in Charlestown, Massachusetts on November 20, 1835. Dana was buried in Groton Cemetery.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dana, Samuel Massachusetts state senators Massachusetts lawyers Presidents of the Massachusetts Senate Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 1767 births 1835 deaths Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts People from Groton, Massachusetts 19th-century American lawyers