Samuel Lahm (April 22, 1812 – June 16, 1876) was a lawyer, politician, and

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

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

for one term from 1847 to 1849.

Early life and career

He was the father of Frank Samuel Lahm, a noted expatriate and pioneer

balloon A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...

ist, and the grandfather of Brigadier General Frank Purdy Lahm, aerial pioneer, student of the Wright brothers, and the first military officer to fly an airplane. He married Almira Brown of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

and was related by marriage to

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...

. The couple had five children: Marshall, Edward, Frank Samuel, Charles Henry, and Helen Rebecca. The two eldest sons served in the 115th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

and died in service within three weeks of each other, by sickness. In 1855 Almira Lahm died and Lahm remarried, to Henrietta Faber of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. Lahm and Henrietta had three daughters. Born in

Leitersburg, Maryland Leitersburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 523 at the 2000 census. History Bell-Varner House, Huckleberry Hall, and Leitersburg Historic District are listed on the National Reg ...

, he was of German descent, his parents having emigrated from Germany. Lahm completed preparatory studies and then taught school. He attended Washington College (now

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries t ...

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania. A part of the Greater Pittsburgh area in the southwestern part of the state, the city is home to Washington & Jefferson College and Pony League baseball. The populat ...

. He studied law with Oliver H. Smith in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Lahm was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1836 and moved to Canton, Ohio to open a practice. He intended to return to Leitersburg, but stopped in Canton, Ohio and was pleased with the place. He partnered with

Andrew W. Loomis Andrew Williams Loomis (June 27, 1797 – August 24, 1873) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Ohio during the year 1837. Biography Born in Lebanon, Connecticut, Loomis earned his law degree from Union Colleg ...

until Loomis left the state in 1841. He served as the master of chancery from 1837 to 1841 and

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

of Stark County from 1837 to 1845. He served two terms as a member of the Ohio Senate in 1842. He was selected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1844 in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Lahm was appointed as a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the state's

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ...

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, and commanded the 2nd Brigade, 6th Division of Ohio during the Mexican War.

Congress

He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1844 to the

Twenty-ninth Congress The 29th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1845 ...

. However, 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

Thirtieth Congress The 30th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1847 ...

and served from March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849. He lost election to

Ohio's 18th congressional district The 18th congressional district of Ohio is an obsolete congressional district last represented by Republican Bob Gibbs. The district voted for the majority party in the House of Representatives in every election since 1954. After the 2010 cen ...

in 1856. Lahm served as a delegate to the

1860 Democratic National Convention The 1860 Democratic National Conventions were a series of presidential nominating conventions held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The first convention, held from April 23 t ...

Later career and death

Retiring from politics, he engaged in agricultural pursuits and sheep raising. He died in Canton on June 16, 1876, and was interred in West Lawn Cemetery.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lahm, Samuel 1812 births 1876 deaths Ohio lawyers Democratic Party Ohio state senators People from Washington County, Maryland Washington & Jefferson College alumni Politicians from Canton, Ohio American people of the Mexican–American War Burials at West Lawn Cemetery County district attorneys in Ohio American militia generals American people of German descent 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Canton, Ohio 19th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio