Samuel Finley Vinton
Encyclopedia
Samuel Finley Vinton was a member of the United States House of Representatives
from Ohio
from March 4, 1823 to March 4, 1837 and again from March 4, 1843 to March 4, 1851.
Born in South Hadley, Massachusetts
, Vinton was the son of Abiatha and Sarah (Day) Vinton. He graduated from Williams College
in 1814, paying his way through school by teaching. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in Connecticut
in 1816. He then moved to southern Ohio
and practiced law in Gallipolis
. There he married Romaine Madeleine Bureau in 1824. She died in 1831 after the couple had had a son and a daughter.
After holding various local offices, he was elected to the Eighteenth Congress on a non-partisan ballot. Vinton was re-elected to the Nineteenth, Twentieth, Twenty-first, Twenty-second, Twenty Third and Twenty-fourth Congresses. In the Twenty-third Congress he was an Anti-Jacksonian Democrat and in the Twenty-fourth and succeeding Congresses he was a Whig.
He did not seek re-election in 1836, returning to Ohio to his successful practice of law. Whig Presidential elector in 1840 for Harrison
/Tyler
. However, he returned to Congress in 1843, again as a Whig
. In his second service in Congress, he was a member of the Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, Thirtieth, and Thirty-first Congresses. He was noted for his service on the Public Lands Committee, helping to create the United States Department of the Interior
, and, as Thomas Ewing
put it, had "more influence in the House of Representatives, much more, than any other man in it." He was an authority on parliamentary procedure
and in the Thirtieth Congress, he declined the Speakership but took the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee instead.
President Millard Fillmore
offered him the post of Secretary of the Interior
, but he declined. He did not run for re-election in 1850, instead running for Governor of Ohio as a Whig in 1851. In 1853, he became president of the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad, retiring the next year to Washington, D.C.
.
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln
appointed him to appraise the value of slaves freed in the District of Columbia. He died in Washington
that year and was buried in Gallipolis, Ohio
.
His daughter, Madeleine Vinton Dahlgren was a writer. Vinton County, Ohio
and Vinton, Ohio
are named for him.
His son-in-law was Admiral John A. Dahlgren
.
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 Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
from March 4, 1823 to March 4, 1837 and again from March 4, 1843 to March 4, 1851.
Born in South Hadley, Massachusetts
South Hadley, Massachusetts
South Hadley is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,514 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Vinton was the son of Abiatha and Sarah (Day) Vinton. He graduated from Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in 1814, paying his way through school by teaching. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
in 1816. He then moved to southern Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and practiced law in Gallipolis
Gallipolis, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,180 people, 1,847 households, and 1,004 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,156.2 people per square mile . There were 2,056 housing units at an average density of 568.7 per square mile...
. There he married Romaine Madeleine Bureau in 1824. She died in 1831 after the couple had had a son and a daughter.
After holding various local offices, he was elected to the Eighteenth Congress on a non-partisan ballot. Vinton was re-elected to the Nineteenth, Twentieth, Twenty-first, Twenty-second, Twenty Third and Twenty-fourth Congresses. In the Twenty-third Congress he was an Anti-Jacksonian Democrat and in the Twenty-fourth and succeeding Congresses he was a Whig.
He did not seek re-election in 1836, returning to Ohio to his successful practice of law. Whig Presidential elector in 1840 for Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
/Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
. However, he returned to Congress in 1843, again 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...
. In his second service in Congress, he was a member of the Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, Thirtieth, and Thirty-first Congresses. He was noted for his service on the Public Lands Committee, helping to create the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
, and, as Thomas Ewing
Thomas Ewing
Thomas Ewing, Sr. was a National Republican and Whig politician from Ohio. He served in the U.S. Senate as well as serving as the Secretary of the Treasury and the first Secretary of the Interior.-Biography:...
put it, had "more influence in the House of Representatives, much more, than any other man in it." He was an authority on parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure is the body of rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings and other operations of clubs, organizations, legislative bodies, and other deliberative assemblies...
and in the Thirtieth Congress, he declined the Speakership but took the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee instead.
President Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
offered him the post of Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
, but he declined. He did not run for re-election in 1850, instead running for Governor of Ohio as a Whig in 1851. In 1853, he became president of the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad, retiring the next year to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
appointed him to appraise the value of slaves freed in the District of Columbia. He died in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
that year and was buried in Gallipolis, Ohio
Gallipolis, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,180 people, 1,847 households, and 1,004 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,156.2 people per square mile . There were 2,056 housing units at an average density of 568.7 per square mile...
.
His daughter, Madeleine Vinton Dahlgren was a writer. Vinton County, Ohio
Vinton County, Ohio
Vinton County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,435. , the least populous in the state. Its county seat is McArthur. The county is named for Samuel Finley Vinton, a 19th-century United States Congressman from...
and Vinton, Ohio
Vinton, Ohio
Vinton is a village in Gallia County, Ohio, United States. The population was 324 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Point Pleasant, WV–OH Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Vinton is located at ....
are named for him.
His son-in-law was Admiral John A. Dahlgren
John A. Dahlgren
John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren was a United States Navy leader. He headed the Union Navy's ordnance department during the American Civil War and designed several different kinds of guns and cannons that were considered part of the reason the Union won the war...
.