Samuel Anderson Purviance
Encyclopedia
Samuel Anderson Purviance (January 10, 1809 – February 14, 1882) was a Whig
, Opposition Party
and Republican
politician and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
.
Samuel Anderson Purviance was born in Butler, Pennsylvania
. He entered college and pursued a partial course and then studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1827 and commenced practice in Butler. He moved to Warren County, Pennsylvania
, and was prosecuting attorney for two years. He returned to Butler, where he continued the practice of law. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1837 and 1838. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
in 1838 and 1839. He was a delegate to the 1844 Whig National Convention
and to the Republican National Convention
in 1856
, 1860
, 1864
, and 1868
.
Purviance was elected as an Opposition Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth
Congress and reelected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth
Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1858
.
He moved to Pittsburgh in 1859 and continued the practice of law. He served as attorney general of Pennsylvania in 1861. He resumed the practice of law in Pittsburgh until 1876, when he retired. He served as a member of the National Executive Committee of the Republican Party from 1864 to 1868. He was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1872. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1874
. He died in Allegheny, Pennsylvania
(now a part of Pittsburgh). Interment in Highwood (formerly Bellevue) Cemetery.
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...
, Opposition Party
Opposition Party (United States)
The Opposition Party in the United States is a label with two different applications in Congressional history, as a majority party in Congress 1854-58, and as a Third Party in the South 1858-1860....
and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Samuel Anderson Purviance was born in Butler, Pennsylvania
Butler, Pennsylvania
The city of Butler is the county seat of Butler County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, situated north of Pittsburgh. The population was 15,121 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. He entered college and pursued a partial course and then studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1827 and commenced practice in Butler. He moved to Warren County, Pennsylvania
Warren County, Pennsylvania
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 41,815. It was formed in 1800 from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming counties; attached to Crawford County until 1805 and then to Venango County until Warren was formally organized in 1819. Its county...
, and was prosecuting attorney for two years. He returned to Butler, where he continued the practice of law. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1837 and 1838. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
in 1838 and 1839. He was a delegate to the 1844 Whig National Convention
1844 Whig National Convention
In 1844, the Whig Party met in Baltimore to nominate its candidates for U.S. President and U.S. Vice President. Ambrose Spencer was Chairman.President John Tyler had been expelled from the party and the delegates searched for a new nominee. They did not have to look far; the delegates nominated...
and to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
in 1856
1856 Republican National Convention
The 1856 Republican National Convention convened from June 17 to June 19, 1856 at the Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and nominated General John C. Frémont of California and former Senator William Dayton of New Jersey for President and Vice President of the United...
, 1860
1860 Republican National Convention
The 1860 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States, held in Chicago, Illinois at the Wigwam, nominated former U.S. Representative Abraham Lincoln of Illinois for President and U.S. Senator Hannibal Hamlin of Maine for Vice President...
, 1864
1864 Republican National Convention
The 1864 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, took place from June 7 to June 8, 1864 in Baltimore, Maryland....
, and 1868
1868 Republican National Convention
The 1868 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in Crosby's Opera House, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, on May 20 to May 21, 1868....
.
Purviance was elected as an Opposition Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth
34th United States Congress
The Thirty-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, 1855 to March 4, 1857, during the last two years...
Congress and reelected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth
35th United States Congress
The 35th 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, 1857 to March 3, 1859, during the first two years of James...
Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1858
United States House election, 1858
Following the U.S. House election of 1858, the Republicans gained control of the House for the first time, benefiting from the continued breakdown in the anti-immigration and anti-Catholic American Party of the Know Nothing Movement, and from strife within the Democratic Party.The Republicans were...
.
He moved to Pittsburgh in 1859 and continued the practice of law. He served as attorney general of Pennsylvania in 1861. He resumed the practice of law in Pittsburgh until 1876, when he retired. He served as a member of the National Executive Committee of the Republican Party from 1864 to 1868. He was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1872. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1874
United States House election, 1874
The U.S. House election, 1874 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1874, which occurred in the middle of President Ulysses S. Grant's second term. It was an important turning point, as the Republicans lost heavily and the Democrats gained control of the House...
. He died in Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny City was a Pennsylvania municipality located on the north side of the junction of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, across from downtown Pittsburgh. It was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907...
(now a part of Pittsburgh). Interment in Highwood (formerly Bellevue) Cemetery.