Elbridge Gerry | |
---|---|
Member of
U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 1st district | |
In office March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851 | |
Preceded by | David Hammons |
Succeeded by | Moses Macdonald |
Member of the Maine House of Representatives | |
In office 1846 [1]–1847 [1] | |
Preceded by | Josiah Monroe [1] |
Succeeded by | John Hill [1] |
Prosecuting Attorney for Oxford County | |
In office 1842–1845 | |
Clerk of the Maine House of Representatives | |
In office 1840 [2]–1841 [2] | |
Preceded by | George Robinson [2] |
Succeeded by | George C. Getchell [2] |
Personal details | |
Born | Waterford, Massachusetts (now Maine) | December 16, 1813
Died | April 10, 1886 Portland, Maine | (aged 72)
Resting place | Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, Maine |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Anna St. Clair Jenness (m. 1849) |
Children | 3 |
Profession | Attorney |
Elbridge Gerry (December 6, 1813 – April 10, 1886) was an American lawyer, who served as a U.S. Congressman from Maine from 1849 to 1851.
Gerry was born on December 6, 1813, in Waterford, Massachusetts (now in Maine); he was the son of Peter and Mary "Polly" (Cutler) Gerry. [3] He attended Bridgton Academy, and studied law with Judge Stephen Emery (who also served as Maine's Attorney General). [3] Gerry was admitted to the bar in 1839 and established a practice in Waterford. [3]
Gerry's father served in the Maine House of Representatives and in local offices including selectman and town meeting moderator. [1] Gerry also served in local offices in Waterford, including town clerk (1842-1843), and town meeting moderator (1847, 1852). [1]
He was clerk of the Maine House of Representatives in 1840, and was appointed a United States commissioner in bankruptcy in 1841. [3] From 1842 to 1845 he was prosecuting attorney for Oxford County. [3] In 1846 he served in the Maine House of Representatives, including holding the post of Speaker Pro tempore during the absence of Speaker Ebenezer Knowlton. [3]
He was elected to a single term in Congress as a Democrat in 1848, and served from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1851. [3] He did not run for reelection in 1850, and moved to Portland to continue the practice of law. [3]
He died in Portland on April 10, 1886, [4] and was buried at Portland's Evergreen Cemetery. [5]
In 1849, Gerry married Anna St. Clair Jenness, the daughter of Richard and Caroline Jenness of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. [3] They were the parents of three children: Alice, Elbridge, and Elizabeth. [3]
Alice Gerry (1850-1921) was the wife of Arthur Melville Patterson of Baltimore, Maryland. [3] [6] After his death, she married John Stewart, the grandson of David Stewart. [6] After her 1913 divorce, she married Francis B. Griswold. [7]
Elbridge Gerry (1853-1907) graduated from Bowdoin College and Harvard Law School. [8] He practiced law in Maine and New York City before accepting appointment as vice consul in Le Havre, France, in 1885. [8] He remained in Europe after resigning in 1887, and died in Siena, Italy. [8]
Elizabeth Jenness Gerry (1852-1912), was the wife of Greek diplomat Constantin Pangiris. [9]
Many sources indicate that Elbridge Gerry (1813-1886) was the grandson of Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814). [5] This seems to be in error; the ancestry of Elbridge Gerry (1813-1886) can be traced to his father Peter (1776-1847); [10] Peter's father Nathaniel Gerry (or Geary) (1733-1791); [10] Nathaniel's father Thomas; [11] Nathaniel's grandfather, also named Thomas; [11] and Nathaniel's great-grandfather Thomas Gery (or Gary). [11]