Allen Potter
Encyclopedia
Allen Potter was a politician from the U.S. state
of Michigan
.
Potter was born in Galloway (now Galway, New York
) and attended the common schools. He moved to Adrian, Michigan
in 1830 and to Jonesville, Michigan
in 1838 where he learned the trade of tinsmith
. He moved to Kalamazoo
in 1845 and engaged in the retail hardware business until 1858, when he engaged in banking and in the manufacture of gas.
Potter was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives in 1857. He also served as president of the village council in 1859, 1863, 1870, and again in 1872. He was elected a member of the board of education in 1867, 1869, and 1871, serving as president in 1869. He was also a member of the board of water commissioners in 1872 and an unsuccessful Liberal Republican
candidate for election to the 43rd United States Congress
that same year.
Potter was elected as a Democrat
from Michigan's 4th congressional district
to the 44th Congress
, serving from March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1877. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1876 and resumed banking activities as well as being financially interested in railroads and Colorado
mining enterprises.
Allen Potter served as member of the sewer commission from 1880 to 1883 and was elected as the first mayor of Kalamazoo in 1884. He also served as treasurer of the State asylum for the insane. He died in Kalamazoo and is interred there in the City Cemetery.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Potter was born in Galloway (now Galway, New York
Galway (town), New York
Galway is a town located in Saratoga County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 3,589. The town is in the western part of the county and is north of Schenectady. Galway is a rural community with a mixture of small business, farming, and residential homes. The...
) and attended the common schools. He moved to Adrian, Michigan
Adrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
in 1830 and to Jonesville, Michigan
Jonesville, Michigan
Jonesville is a village in Fayette Township, Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,337 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
in 1838 where he learned the trade of tinsmith
Tinsmith
A tinsmith, or tinner or tinker or tinplate worker, is a person who makes and repairs things made of light-coloured metal, particularly tinware...
. He moved to Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
in 1845 and engaged in the retail hardware business until 1858, when he engaged in banking and in the manufacture of gas.
Potter was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives in 1857. He also served as president of the village council in 1859, 1863, 1870, and again in 1872. He was elected a member of the board of education in 1867, 1869, and 1871, serving as president in 1869. He was also a member of the board of water commissioners in 1872 and an unsuccessful Liberal Republican
Liberal Republican Party (United States)
The Liberal Republican Party of the United States was a political party that was organized in Cincinnati in May 1872, to oppose the reelection of President Ulysses S. Grant and his Radical Republican supporters. The party's candidate in that year's presidential election was Horace Greeley, longtime...
candidate for election to the 43rd United States Congress
43rd United States Congress
The Forty-third 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, 1873 to March 4, 1875, during the fifth and sixth...
that same year.
Potter was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
from Michigan's 4th congressional district
Michigan's 4th congressional district
Michigan's 4th congressional district is a United States Congressional district that currently includes portions of Northern and Central Michigan, consisting of all of...
to the 44th Congress
44th United States Congress
The Forty-fourth 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, 1875 to March 4, 1877, during the seventh and...
, serving from March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1877. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1876 and resumed banking activities as well as being financially interested in railroads and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
mining enterprises.
Allen Potter served as member of the sewer commission from 1880 to 1883 and was elected as the first mayor of Kalamazoo in 1884. He also served as treasurer of the State asylum for the insane. He died in Kalamazoo and is interred there in the City Cemetery.