Dwight Foster (December 7, 1757 – April 29, 1823) was an American lawyer and politician from

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. He served in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

, the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

Early life

Foster was born in Brookfield in the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England 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 Eng ...

, and attended the common schools in Brookfield. He graduated from the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (the former name of

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

) at Providence in 1774. He then studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and was admitted to the

bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence.

in 1778. He remained in

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

to practice law, beginning his law practice in Providence. He received his master's degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1784.

Career

After returning to Massachusetts, Foster held various positions in the government. He served as justice of the peace for Worcester County from 1781 to 1823, as special justice of the court of common pleas in 1792, and as sheriff of Worcester County in 1792. In 1791, he was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

candidate to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He was elected as a United States House of Representatives to the

3rd United States Congress The 3rd 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 at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pen ...

in 1793, and was re-elected to the three succeeding Congresses, defeating Levi Lincoln, Sr. each time. He served in Congress from March 4, 1793, until his resignation on June 6, 1800. While in Congress, he was Chairman of the

United States Senate Committee on Claims The United States Senate Committee on Claims was among the first standing committees established in the Senate. It dealt generally with issues related to private bills and petitions. After reforms in the 1880s that created judicial and administra ...

. In 1799, he was a delegate to the State constitutional convention and on June 6, 1800, he was elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by Samuel Dexter's resignation. He served in the Senate until his resignation on March 3, 1803. He was a member of the State House from 1808 to 1809 and a member of the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...

in 1818. In 1813 he was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society. Foster died in Brookfield on April 29, 1823, aged 65.

Family life

Foster's father was Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Jedediah Foster, who graduated from

in 1744. Foster married Rebecca Faulkner on May 7, 1783, and they had one son, Alfred Dwight Foster. He was the brother of U.S. Senator Theodore Foster, and was the grandfather and namesake of

Massachusetts Attorney General The Massachusetts attorney general is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder ...

and Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Dwight Foster MA.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Dwight 1757 births 1823 deaths People from Brookfield, Massachusetts People from colonial Massachusetts American people of English descent Pro-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Federalist Party United States senators from Massachusetts Members of the Massachusetts Governor's Council Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Sheriffs of Worcester County, Massachusetts Massachusetts lawyers Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island 19th-century American lawyers Brown University alumni Harvard University alumni 19th-century United States senators 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 18th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court 19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court