Abijah Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Abijah Gilbert was a United States Senator
from Florida
.
Born in Gilbertsville, New York
, Gilbert attended Gilbertsville Academy and graduated from Hamilton College (Clinton, New York
) in 1822. He spent 1822 to 1850 engaged in mercantile pursuits in New York City
before moving to St. Augustine, Florida
in 1865.
An early advocate of abolitionism
, Gilbert was a strong supporter of the Whig Party
and, later, the Republican Party
. He was elected to represent Florida in the United States Senate
as a Republican, and served from 1869 to 1875 as part of the Reconstruction effort.
Gilbert retired from business and political life after his Senate term ended while continuing to live in St. Augustine. He moved back to Gilbertsville shortly before his death in 1881.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Born in Gilbertsville, New York
Gilbertsville, New York
Gilbertsville is a village in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 375 at the 2000 census. The village is named after its founder, and early landowner Abijah Gilbert of Nuneaton, England, father of the eponymous United States Senator from Florida.The Village of Gilbertsville...
, Gilbert attended Gilbertsville Academy and graduated from Hamilton College (Clinton, New York
Clinton, Oneida County, New York
Clinton is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,952 at the 2000 census. It was named for George Clinton, a royal governor of the colony of New York....
) in 1822. He spent 1822 to 1850 engaged in mercantile pursuits in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
before moving to St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
in 1865.
An early advocate of abolitionism
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
, Gilbert was a strong supporter of the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
and, later, the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. He was elected to represent Florida in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
as a Republican, and served from 1869 to 1875 as part of the Reconstruction effort.
Gilbert retired from business and political life after his Senate term ended while continuing to live in St. Augustine. He moved back to Gilbertsville shortly before his death in 1881.
See also
- List of United States Senators from Florida
- United States congressional delegations from FloridaUnited States congressional delegations from FloridaThese are tables of congressional delegations from Florida to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.Unlike many smaller states that generally have continuity in their districts when reapportioned every 10 years after the United States Census, Florida has seen a great...
External links
- Abijah Gilbert at PoliticalGraveyard.com