Noble S. Elderkin
Encyclopedia
Noble Strong Elderkin was an American politician from New York
. He was Speaker of the New York State Assembly
in 1850.
- 19 May 1850 Madrid, New York
) and Parmela Fuller Elderkin. His parents married in 1807 at Middlebury, Vermont. Their first child Elmira L. Elderkin (1807–1880) was born there. In 1808, the family removed to Potsdam, N.Y., where Noble and his other siblings were born.
He was Sheriff
of St. Lawrence County from 1843 to 1846.
He was a Democratic member from St. Lawrence County of the New York State Assembly
from 1849 to 1851. In 1850, Democrats and Whigs had a tie vote in the Assembly, but it having become apparent to Robert H. Pruyn
, the Whig candidate for Speaker, that one of the Whig members could not properly hold his seat, Pruyn abstained from voting, and Elderkin was chosen Speaker. The appreciation of this high-minded course was shown shortly afterward: The Speaker was called home when his wife Eliza was very ill, and the Democrats voted for Pruyn to become the new Speaker. Shortly thereafter, both Elderkin's wife and father died, his wife at Potsdam, N.Y., on April 8, aged 38 years, his father on May 19 at neighboring Madrid, N.Y., and Elderkin did not return to the Assembly for the remainder of this session.
He was President of the village of Potsdam in 1857-58.
In 1859
, he ran on the Democratic and American
tickets for New York State Prison Inspector
but was narrowly defeated by Republican David P. Forrest
.
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...
. He was Speaker of the New York State Assembly
Speaker of the New York State Assembly
The Speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party....
in 1850.
Life
He was the son of Anthony Y. Elderkin, a wheelwright (ca. 1785 Willimantic, ConnecticutWillimantic, Connecticut
Willimantic is a census-designated place and former city located in the town of Windham in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was estimated at 15,823 at the 2000 census. It is home to Eastern Connecticut State University, as well as the Windham Textile and History Museum....
- 19 May 1850 Madrid, New York
Madrid, New York
Madrid is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 1,828 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Madrid in Spain.The Town of Madrid is in the northern part of the county, north of Canton....
) and Parmela Fuller Elderkin. His parents married in 1807 at Middlebury, Vermont. Their first child Elmira L. Elderkin (1807–1880) was born there. In 1808, the family removed to Potsdam, N.Y., where Noble and his other siblings were born.
He was Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of St. Lawrence County from 1843 to 1846.
He was a Democratic member from St. Lawrence County of the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
from 1849 to 1851. In 1850, Democrats and Whigs had a tie vote in the Assembly, but it having become apparent to Robert H. Pruyn
Robert H. Pruyn
Robert Hewson Pruyn was an American lawyer, General, diplomat, and politician from Albany, New York.-Political, military, and diplomatic service:...
, the Whig candidate for Speaker, that one of the Whig members could not properly hold his seat, Pruyn abstained from voting, and Elderkin was chosen Speaker. The appreciation of this high-minded course was shown shortly afterward: The Speaker was called home when his wife Eliza was very ill, and the Democrats voted for Pruyn to become the new Speaker. Shortly thereafter, both Elderkin's wife and father died, his wife at Potsdam, N.Y., on April 8, aged 38 years, his father on May 19 at neighboring Madrid, N.Y., and Elderkin did not return to the Assembly for the remainder of this session.
He was President of the village of Potsdam in 1857-58.
In 1859
New York state election, 1859
The 1859 New York state election was held on November 8, 1859, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, a Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, a Canal Commissioner, an Inspector of State Prisons and the Clerk of the...
, he ran on the Democratic and American
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
tickets for New York State Prison Inspector
New York State Prison Inspector
The Inspector of State Prisons was a statewide elective office created by the New York State Constitution of 1846. At the New York state election, 1847, three Inspectors were elected and then, upon taking office, so classified that henceforth every year one Inspector would be elected to a...
but was narrowly defeated by Republican David P. Forrest
David P. Forrest
-Life:He was Clerk of Schenectady County from 1850 to 1852. He was Mayor of Schenectady in 1859.He was an Inspector of State Prisons from 1860 to 1862, elected in 1859 on the Republican ticket; and from 1865 to 1867, elected in 1864 on the Union ticket...
.
Sources
- http://genforum.genealogy.com/wi/grant/messages/269.html Elderkin genealogy at Genforum
- http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyoneida/countydeaths/rc50death2.html His wife's death notice
- http://history.rays-place.com/ny/potsdam-1-ny.htm Potsdam History
- http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~stlawgen/CENSUS/1870/POTSDAM/78A.HTM Mention in Census 1870
- http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~stlawgen/MISC/Vital%20Records/1847_pots_birth.HTM Noble and Eliza mentioned in birth records 1847
- http://www.schenectadyhistory.org/families/hmgfm/pruyn-1.html Bio of Robert H. Pruyn at Schenectady History
- Google Book The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 272 and 406; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)