Hiram Belcher was a United States Representative from Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

. He was born in Hallowell

Hallowell, Maine

Hallowell is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,467 at the 2000 census.-History:The city is named for Benjamin Hallowell, a Boston merchant and one of the Kennebec Proprietors, holders of land originally granted to the Plymouth Company by the British monarchy in...

 on February 23, 1790. He attended the rural schools and the local academy in town. Belcher studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Farmington in 1812.

He was elected town clerk of the community and served from 1814 to 1819; member of the State house of representatives in 1822, 1829, and 1832; served in the Maine State Senate. He was elected as a Whig

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...

to the Thirtieth Congress (March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849). He was chairman of the Committee on Mileage. He was not a candidate for reelection. He re-engaged in the practice of his profession until his death in Farmington on May 6, 1857. His interment was in Center Meeting House Cemetery.