Austin Franklin Pike was a United States Representative and Senator

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 New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

. Born in Hebron, New Hampshire

Hebron, New Hampshire

Hebron is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 602 at the 2010 census. Settlements include the town center and the village of East Hebron.- History :...

, he pursued an academic course, studied law, and was admitted to the bar of Merrimack County

Merrimack County, New Hampshire

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 136,225 people, 51,843 households, and 35,460 families residing in the county. The population density was 146 people per square mile . There were 56,244 housing units at an average density of 60 per square mile...

 in 1845. He was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives

New Hampshire House of Representatives

The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 103 districts across the state, created from divisions of the state's counties. On average, each legislator represents about 3,300...

 from 1850 to 1852 and in 1865 - 1866, and served as speaker during the last two years. He was a member of the New Hampshire Senate

New Hampshire Senate

The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on population...

 in 1857 - 1858, serving as president the last year.

Pike was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third Congress (March 4, 1873-March 4, 1875) and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 to the Forty-fourth Congress. He was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate after a lengthy deadlocked election in the New Hampshire Legislature and served from August 2, 1883, until his death. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Claims (Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses). He died in Franklin, New Hampshire

Franklin, New Hampshire

The median income for a household in the city was $34,613, and the median income for a family was $41,698. Males had a median income of $32,318 versus $25,062 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,155...

; interment was in Franklin Cemetery.

Personal life

Pike married twice; he married his second wife, Caroline White, in 1850 and had three children with her - Helen, Edward E., and Leila. His daughter Helen married Frank Nesmith Parsons

Frank Nesmith Parsons

Frank Nesmith Parsons was a lawyer, politician, and Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court from 1902 to 1924. Some sources spell his middle name "Naismith"....

, Pike's law partner from 1879 until his death; Parsons was later Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court (1902-1924).