John Sanford was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

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Born in Roxbury, Connecticut

Roxbury, Connecticut

Roxbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,136 at the 2000 census.-History:Roxbury, whose Indian name was "Shepaug", a Mahican name signifiying "rocky water", was settled about the year 1713...

, he was the second son of Sarah Curtis (1771–1856) and her husband Stephen Sandford I (1769–1848). John Sanford was a brother to Nehemiah Curtis Sanford

Nehemiah Curtis Sanford

Nehemiah Curtis Sanford was an American industrialist and politician.Nehemiah Sanford was the son of Sarah Curtis and her husband Stephen Sandford I...

 who was the father of Henry Shelton Sanford

Henry Shelton Sanford

Henry Shelton Sanford was an American diplomat and businessman who founded the city of Sanford, Florida.-Early life:Sanford was born in Woodbury, Connecticut into a family with deep New England roots...

, the diplomat who founded the city of Sanford, Florida

Sanford, Florida

Sanford is a city in, and the county seat of, Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 38,291 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 50,998...

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Having received a good education, John Sanford moved to Amsterdam, New York, in 1821 where he taught school. In 1822 he married Amsterdam native Mary Slack (1803–1888) with whom he had three daughters and three sons:

• 1) Sarah Caoline (1824–1871)
• 2) Stephen
  Stephen Sanford
  Stephen Sanford was an American businessman and a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York's 18th congressional district.-Life and career:...
  
   (1826–1913)
• 3) Nelson (1828–1848)
• 4) David (1830–1885)
• 5) Aledah (born 1833)
• 6) Harriette (born 1836)

Sanford later taught in Mayfield and also engaged in mercantile pursuits there. He 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...

 to the Twenty-seventh

27th United States Congress

The Twenty-seventh 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, 1841 to March 3, 1843, during the one-month...

 Congress (March 4, 1841-March 3, 1843). He returned to Amsterdam and founded a carpet

Carpet

A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene,nylon or polyester and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their...

mill but the factory was destroyed by fire in 1854, whereupon he retired from active business.

John Sanford died in Amsterdam in 1857 and was interred there in the Green Hill Cemetery.