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1809: Born - Ira Allen Eastman : Represented New Hampshire from 1839 - 1842

Born in Gilmanton, N.H., January 1, 1809; attended the local schools; was graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1829; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1832 and commenced practice in Troy, N.H.; returned to Gilmanton in 1834 and continued the practice of law; clerk of the State house of representatives in 1835; member of the State house of representatives 1836-1838, and served as speaker in 1837 and 1838; register of probate from 1836 to 1839; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1839-March 3, 1843); chairman, Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business (Twenty-seventh Congress); was not a candidate for renomination in 1842; judge of the court of common pleas 1844-1849; associate judge of the supreme court 1849-1855; judge of the superior judicial court from 1855 to 1859; chosen trustee of Dartmouth College in 1859; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor in 1863 and for United States Senator in 1866; resumed the practice of law; died in Manchester, N.H., March 21, 1881; interment in Valley Cemetery.

1789 : Born - John Hardy Steele - the twenty-seventh governor of New Hampshire, was born in Salisbury, North Carolina on January 4, 1789.

As a young child, he lost both of his parents, and consequently, his education was affected. He left school early to work as an apprentice in the machinist trade. He eventually built the Union Manufacturing Company cotton mill, as well as designing the first power loom in New Hampshire.

Steele first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he was elected to in 1829. He also served as Governor Harvey's aide in 1830; was town moderator from 1830 to 1838; and served on the Governor's Executive Council from 1840 to 1842. Steele next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor in the 1844 general election.

He was reelected to a second term in 1845. During his tenure, a state railroad commission was created; and the state's ore industry was initiated. After completing his term, Steele continued to stay active in politics, serving as town selectman in 1846. Governor John H. Steele passed away on July 3, 1865, and was buried in the Village Cemetery in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

1791: Born General Joseph P. Cilley - (nephew of Bradbury Cilley and brother of Jonathan Cilley), a Senator from New Hampshire;

Born in Nottingham, Rockingham County, N.H., January 4, 1791; attended the common schools and graduated from Atkinson Academy, New Hampshire; engaged in agricultural pursuits; served in the New Hampshire Regiment, United States Infantry 1812-1816, attained the brevetted rank of captain; quartermaster of New Hampshire in 1817; division inspector in 1821; aide-de-camp to the Governor in 1827;

Elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Levi Woodbury and served from June 13, 1846, until March 3, 1847; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1846; retired to his farm in Nottingham, N.H., and died there September 16, 1887; interment in the General Joseph Cilley Burying Ground in Nottingham Square.

Colonel Joseph Cilley NH State House Portrait

Colonel Joseph Cilley NH State House Portrait Plate

1793: Born - Jared Perkins - A Representative from New Hampshire; born in Unity, Sullivan County, N.H., January 5, 1793;

Jaredattended the common schools of Unity and Claremont; studied theology; was ordained as a minister in 1824 and served for thirty years; State councilor 1846-1848; served in the State house of representatives in 1850; elected as a Whig to the Thirty-second Congress (March 4, 1851-March 3, 1853); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1852 to the Thirty-third Congress; nominated for Governor of New Hampshire in 1854 but died before the election; appointed justice of the peace in 1854 and served until his death in Nashua, N.H., October 15, 1854; interment in West Unity Cemetery, Unity, N.H.

1815 - Harriet Patience Dame was born in Barnstead, New Hampshire (or North Barnstead) to James Chadbourne and Phebe Ayers on January 5, 1815.

In 1843, Dame moved to Concord, New Hampshire and worked at various occupations. By 1861, she was running a student boarding house. She had no formal training as a nurse prior to the war. When war came, Harriet, aged 46, approached the recruit training station at Camp Union in Concord and offered her services to officers. As a result of no infirmary at the camp, Harriet was put into service as a nurse. She served with the 2nd New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry from April, 1861 to December, 1865.

She served the entire time without a furlough. This was through two enlistment periods of the regiment. This regiment was mostly men from Concord and Exeter, led by Col. Gilman Marston. Miss Dame marched and camped alongside the troops. Most of the time, she was often the only woman among the regiment of one thousand men. Col. Marston said of her: “Miss Dame was the bravest woman I ever knew. I have seen her face a cannon battery without flinching while a man took refuge behind her for safety from flying shells. She was always present when most needed.” She saw action at first Bull Run, second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. Concord, in 1861, was the site of political rallies.

It may have been those gatherings that fired Harriet up and made her want to do her patriotic duty with the boys in the Civil War. Whatever the reason, it is written in The Barnstead Reunion, “That at once aroused her patriotism and she anxiously desired to aid the Union cause. Not being permitted to carry a musket, she decided to become an army nurse and joined Second Regiment NH volunteers, as hospital matron.” The pay of a hospital matron at that time was six dollars a month, ($240.00 in today’s dollars). But Harriet probably was less concerned with her salary than she was helping the soldiers who were fighting in the war. If Harriet wanted to get close to battle, her wish was granted in April of 1862, when she was helping inside the trenches to treat the wounded at Fair Oaks, Virginia during the Peninsula Campaign. “She was inside the trenches at Fair Oaks while the rebels were bombarding them and a shell tore through the tent just as she left it, and another burst overhead while she was cooking some broth.

In the ambulance and hospital she was a ministering angel and saved the lives of many men by careful nursing. After that battle, the troops having retreated, she walked a long distance and assisted the sick and wounded on the march. One very dark night she passed in the thick of the woods, not knowing whether she was near friends or foes. Miss Dame said: “I remember an incident of one morning on the Chickahominy. The men came to me and wanted me to make them some tea, which I did. It seemed to refresh them greatly. I walked away from the fire and saw a man sitting on a stump at the edge of the woods. His face was in his hands, he acted greatly fatigued. I asked if he were ill. He said, ‘No,’ but he had been in the saddle for a whole day. As he looked up, I saw that he was a major-general, and offered him some tea, which he gladly accepted. I did not know the man, but years afterward, in looking at some pictures, I came across that of General Kearney, and he was the man on the stump.’ Due to her courage and compassion, Harriet was well known among all the soldiers and deep respect was always shown no matter where she went and nursed the men.

When Union General Joseph Hooker announced that all soldiers who could not walk to Harrison’s Landing, Virginia during the Peninsula Campaign would be left behind to certain death, Miss Dame first organized the sick and wounded so they could help each other during the 120-mile trek and later won space for them on wagons. Her leadership and ability to organize saved the lives of many. Indeed, Harriet traveled extensively and saw the worst of the worst: she was with the 2nd NH regiment at Harrison’s Landing and treated the sick and wounded among them. Soon after, she was put on a hospital boat and sent to Fortress Monroe to aid the wounded that had been evacuated.

From there she was ordered to accompany a shipload of sick and wounded soldiers to New York for treatment in a General Hospital. Not long after, Harriet was back on the battlefield nursing the wounded. She was at the Second Bull Run battle. After the fight, she was captured while in route to accompany soldiers to a hospital at the Stone Church. Her captors thought that she might be a spy. She was taken to none other than Stonewall Jackson himself. A written account of the meeting stated that, “The grand old warrior sat alone. He glanced at [Ms. Dame], and when she showed her bandages for the wounded, her flask and her medicines. General Jackson thundered: ‘Take that lady back to the Northern lines! He detailed a guard of eight picked men to guide this nurse safely back to Northern lines.’” In December ,1862, she was a nurse at the battle of Fredericksburg and suffered from exposure, but remained with the sick soldiers until they were deemed able to be removed to Washington D.C. Harriet once again packed her traveling bag and accompanied the wounded.

Harriet next appeared as a nurse at the Battle of Gettysburg and what she must have seen cannot be imagined. A chaplain described the nobility of Miss. Dame: “I have heard them all tell how she toiled day after day on the bloody field of Gettysburg, sometimes during the battle, between the lines…absorbed and self-forgetful, devoting herself to the relief of our wounded men. And when the darkness of night, and the exhaustion of her energies made rest imperative, she would pillow her head on the gory field, and sleep amid the dead and wounded scattered around her.” During the years Harriet served as a nurse, she followed the New Hampshire regiment through one battle after another.

She became an almost legendary figure among all the soldiers that she served. In September, 1864, she was appointed Matron of the 18th Corps Hospital and supervised the nurses and also the cooking for the hospital’s sick and wounded, which at times amounted to over 3,000 men. The corps was sent first to the Bermuda Hundred, and later to the north bank of the James River. Its first division took part in the successful attack on Fort Harrison on August 29 during the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm. The corps was also engaged on October 27 in the Second Battle of Fair Oaks, fought over the same ground as the first battle in May, 1862. The corps was discontinued in December, 1864. On Christmas day, Dec. 25, 1865, the regiment of New Hampshire soldiers was mustered out of service and Harriet’s service to the Civil War ended when the men were sent home. General Gilman Marston, colonel of the regiment, said of Harriet, “Miss Harriet P. Dame went out with the Second NH Volunteers in June, 1861, and remained with that regiment and in the army hospitals until the close of the war. She sought no soft place and wherever her regiment went she went, often marching on foot and camping without tent on the field. She was always present where most needed, and to the suffering, whether ‘Yank or Reb’ it made no difference. She was truly an angel of mercy. Miss Dame was the bravest woman I ever knew. I have seen her face a battery without flinching, while a man took refuge behind her to avoid the flying fragments of bursting shells.

Of all the men and women who volunteered to serve their country during the late war, no one is more deserving of reward than Harriet P. Dame.” After the war, Dame was appointed in 1867 by William E. Chandler to a Treasury Department clerkship in Washington, D.C. which she held into old age (she was still working at 81). She did not return to her home state until 1900 after Congress voted her a military pension in 1884. In 1886 she deposited $1,000 with a committee of the 2nd regiment veterans to erect a building for headquarters for their encampment at Lake Winnipesaukee. She was the second president of the Ex-Army Nurses’ Association, and she donated personal funds to build the NH Old Soldiers Home in Tilton. Dame served as the third president of the National Association of Army Nurses of the Civil War, in 1884 upon the death of Dorthea Dix and resignation of Dr. Susan Edson. Because of her service, a Senate bill was introduced in the 48th Congress to provide pensions to nurses who worked on the battlefield or in hospitals during the Civil War.

Patience Dame never married. She died in Concord and was buried at Blossom Hill Cemetery on April 24, 1900 in Concord. Governor Frank Rollins and long lines of state militia participated in her funeral ceremony. A brief obituary in the New York Times on April 25, 1900 stated: “Harriet P. Dame, war nurse from New Hampshire, known by name to thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers, died tonight. She had the right to wear the insignia of the One Hundred and Eighty-eighth Corps, and the Third Corps of Hookers Division.” “She sought no soft place, but wherever her regiment went, she went, often marching on foot and camping without tent on the field. She was always present when most needed, and to the suffering, whether Yank or Reb -it made no difference- she was truly an angel of mercy. Miss Dame was the bravest woman I ever knew. I have seen her face a battery without flinching, while a man took refuge behind her to avoid the flying fragments of bursting shells.” – General Gilman Marston commander of the 2nd NH Regiment. “I can speak of personal knowledge, for I have seen her under fire on many a hard fought field, and when lying on my back shot through the body, unable to move a finger, with, as everybody thought, my last breath going out, and with shot and shell raining around us, as if the very heavens were about to fall, she at that time was indeed to me a ministering angel, and I candidly believe if it were not for her I could not have written this letter to-day.” – M.A. Dillon 2nd NH Regiment wounded at Second Bull Run. In 1901, the State Legislature appropriated funds so that a State House portrait might be painted of Harriet. Her portrait was the first portrait of a woman to be hung in the State House.

The City of Concord also named a school in her honor. With the soldiers she was entitled to wear the cross of the Eighteenth Corps, which she accompanied; the diamond of the Third Corps of Hooker’s Division; the heart of the Twelfth Corps and a gold badge given by the Second New Hampshire. The American Nurses Association put her in their Hall of Fame in 2002. She is their only Civil War Matron that they have honored for her nursing.

Harriet P. Dame NH State House Portrait Plate

1845: Born - Carlton Camp in Hanover , New Hampshire - Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient.

He served in the Union Army as a Private in Company B, 18th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for action at Petersburg, Virginia on April 2, 1865. His citation reads "Brought off from the picket line, under heavy fire, a comrade who had been shot through both legs. Carlton died on 1 September 1926 and his remains are interred at the Etna Cemetery in Hanover, New Hampshire.

1682 - JONATHAN Belcher. (1682–1757). Merchant, colonial governor of Massachusetts and New Jersey. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on 8 January 1682,

Jonathan Belcher was raised in a prosperous family that had important political and commercial connections. Graduating from Harvard in 1699, Belcher traveled in Europe before becoming a wealthy merchant in Boston. In 1705 he married Mary Partridge, daughter of New Hampshire Lieutenant Governor William Partridge.

After being elected to the Massachusetts Council eight times during the twelve years from 1718 to 1729, Belcher happened to be in England when Governor William Burnet died, and he was able to secure the governorship of Massachusetts and New Hampshire for himself. On 10 August 1730 he landed in Boston to take up his commission. His position was one that called for real genius, which Belcher lacked. He tried to walk the fence between royal and colonial interests, but repeatedly found himself embroiled in controversy. Among the conflicts that troubled his time in office was the Broad Arrow policy, which brought him into conflict with royal authority; the Land Bank, in which he supported his friends and family, who opposed the popular scheme; and the boundary dispute between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, in which he was accused of accepting a bribe. On 7 May 1741 the Board of Trade dismissed Belcher as governor of both provinces.

In 1744 Belcher went to England to argue his case, meeting with the Board of Trade, members of Parliament, and King George II. In 1747, perhaps just to get rid of him, the Crown appointed Belcher governor of New Jersey. He reached his new post in August 1747 and had a relatively tranquil tenure until his death on 31 August 1757, in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. He took a great interest in the founding of the College of New Jersey (Princeton) and left the college his library.

NH Governor Jonathan Belcher - NH State House Portrait

1723 -REED, JAMES. (1723–1807). CONTINENTAL GENERAL. MASSACHUSETTS- NEW HAMPSHIRE.

His great-grandfather and grandfather emigrated (together) from England in 1635 and settled a few years later in Woburn, Massachusetts, where James was born in 1723. An elementary education enabled him to become a tailor. By 1748 he was a tavern keeper in Lunenburg and a selectman. As a captain during the French and Indian War, he took part in the expedition to Crown Point in 1755, Abercromby's mismanaged operations of 1758 (including Ticonderoga), and the final campaigns under Amherst. About 1765 he moved to Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, where he kept a tavern, served in the militia, and was a large landowner. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War he raised a unit and on 28 April 1775 was commissioned colonel of the Third New Hampshire Regiment His regiment marched to Boston and was posted near Charlestown Neck on 14 June. On 17 June his troops marched to battle under John Stark's command. It was this body of New Hampshire troops that General Howe observed moving from the true Bunker Hill to reinforce the redoubt on Breed's Hill and that caused him to delay his attack until more British troops landed. It was with Thomas Knowlton, along the "rail fence," that Reed's troops displayed the military discipline that Reed had instilled in them. In the military reorganization of January 1776, Reed's regiment became the Second Continental Infantry. After Bunker Hill, Reed was ordered to the Northern Department to reinforce the army that had retreated from Canada. There he suffered a sudden illness, probably smallpox, that left him blind and partially deaf. In August 1776 he accepted a commission as a brigadier general in the expectation that he would recover, but in September 1776 his impairment led him to resign. Despite his disability he lived another thirty years and remarried after the death of his first wife in 1791. He died in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in 1807. His son, Sylvanus (d. 1798), was commissioned an ensign in January 1776 and served as an adjutant to General John Sullivan during the operations at Newport in 1778.

General James Reed - NH State House Portrait

General James Reed - NH Historical Marker

1732: George Reid was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire on January 8, 1732.

He was a farmer by trade. He married Mary Woodburn in 1765 who was noted for her skill in running their farm in George's long service during the American Revolutionary War. With news of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, George Reid marched with his militia company to Boston, Massachusetts and commanded a company of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment at the Battle of Bunker Hill. George Reid was with the 1st NH during the Invasion of Canada, the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton. In the Spring of 1777 George Reid was appointed Lt. Col. of the 2nd New Hampshire Regiment. With the capture of Col. Nathan Hale at the Battle of Hubbardton by the British Army, George Reid took command of the 2nd NH and led them during the rest of the Saratoga Campaign, the Battle of Monmouth and the Sullivan Expedition of 1779. With the consolidation of the three New Hampshire regiments in 1783, Col. Reid was appointed commander of the combined unit until its disbandment on January 1, 1784.

After the war, now Brigadier General Reid led a militia unit that put down the Exeter Rebellion in 1786 at the then state capital Exeter, New Hampshire. The Rebellion was over the value and use of paper money issued by the government of New Hampshire. Later an angry crowd surrounded his house and threatened his life, but the old general faced them down alone and dispersed the mob without further incident. In 1791 George Reid was appointed Sheriff of Rockingham County, New Hampshire. Reid died at the age of 82 in 1815.

General George Reid NH State House Portrait

1899 -Born on January 8th- Sherman Adams, the seventy-seventh governor of New Hampshire, was born in East Dover, Vermont on January 8, 1899.

His early education was attained in the public schools, and later he attended Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1920. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War I, Adams established a successful business career, with holdings in the banking and lumber industries. He first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1941 to 1944, and from which he also served as house speaker in 1943 and 1944. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1945 to 1947; and was a delegate to the 1944 and 1952 Republican National Conventions. Adams next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1948. He won reelection to a second term in 1950. During his tenure, the state’s operations were restructured; state aid for the aged was lobbied for; and economic measures were initiated in state agencies. After leaving the governorship, Adams secured an appointment to serve as President Eisenhower’s chief of staff, a position he held from 1953 to 1958. He became involved in lecturing, as well as writing; and later was instrumental in establishing a ski resort. Governor L. Sherman Adams passed away on October 27, 1986, and was buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Lincoln, New Hampshire.

Governor Adams wanted wanted his wife Rachel (Author of "On the Other Hand) in the State House Portrait with him, this was not allowed.

He instead had her portrait painted into his portrait. Currently, there are four working buildings on the summit of Mount Washington. The Sherman Adams Summit Building was built in 1979 to replace the previous summit building (Mount Washington Observatory 2010a). It is made of concrete and serves as the mountain’s main visitor center. The building includes many amenities for visitors including an observation tower, restroom facilities, a post office, a food court, water fountains and a museum. The Sherman Adams Building also houses the Washington Observatory and the living quarters of its crew.

Governor Sherman Adams NH State House Portrait

Governor Sherman Adams NH State House Portrait Plate

Sherman Adams Summit Building Dedication - September 5th 1980

1829 - Born: Albert Laighton in Portsmouth New Hampshire Albert Laighton was a 19th century American poet who lived all of his life in the New Hampshire town of Portsmouth.

He was a banker by profession and began writing articles and poetry for various periodicals from the age of 15 onwards. Many of his poems are of a light hearted nature, exploring the changing of the seasons and our attitudes to that inexorable passage of time, or vivid descriptions of the natural world. He liked to describe the glories to be found in woodlands and the joy of seeing the birds that herald the birth of a new Spring. Others though were of a more sombre nature, as discussed below.

Laighton was born on the 8th January 1829 in Portsmouth. Very little is recorded about his life but it seems he grew up in a fairly affluent environment. He was educated at private schools in his home town and then moved into the banking profession (presumably) soon afterwards. His output of poetry ran to two volumes of collected poems, the first being published in 1859 and the second in 1878. In conjunction with another local poet he had a compilation published in 1865 called Poets of Portsmouth. While many of Laighton’s poems are fairly short, and usually in a standard rhyming format, he wrote one very long poem called Beauty.

During the year 1858 he was invited by the literary society at Bowdoin College, along with other organisations, to read the poem in full. Here is a short extract from it:

In contrast to poems such as this were his examinations of death and society’s attitudes to this natural progression of life. Take, for example, his poem Found Dead which describes an event as commonplace when it was written in the 19th century as it is now. It’s about the vagrants, the rough sleepers, the exiles from normal family life – they have always been there and probably always will be. Here is the opening verse of this mournful poem:

Then there was his poem The Dead which is an examination of death itself, offering his view of whether or not an afterlife exists and, if it does, what it might look like. Here is the poem in full:

Laighton challenges the different beliefs that people have while stating the obvious fact that he cannot know if there is such a thing as a guardian angel who watches over us until it is our turn to die.

Where he says that “they speak to us, or press our hand, and strive to make us understand” it could be argued that he had “new age” philosophies perhaps well before the term was invented. The last verse, where he suggests that the golden gates are left ajar, certainly implies that he believes that there is a pathway to heaven that has been well trodden already.

With “immortal glory” streaming through the gates this is a clear invitation for those about to pass on and, perhaps, reassurance that being dead isn’t such a terrible thing to contemplate. The fact is, of course, that no one knows what happens after death but Laighton certainly offered an optimistic prospect with his poetry. Albert Laighton died in Portsmouth on the 6th February 1887, aged 58.

1782: Born - Benning Moulton Bean, a Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1833 - 1836.

Benning was born in Moultonborough, Carroll County, N.H., on January 9, 1782; attended the public schools of Moultonborough and received private tutoring; engaged in teaching and in agricultural pursuits; selectman of Moultonborough 1811-1829 and 1832-1838; justice of the peace in 1816; trustee of Sandwich Academy in 1824; member of the State house of representatives 1815-1823

He served in the State senate 1824-1826; again a member of the State house of representatives in 1827; member of the Governor’s council in 1829; again served in the State senate in 1831 and 1832, being president the latter year; elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1833-March 3, 1837); declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1836; resumed teaching and agricultural pursuits in Moultonborough, Carroll County, N.H., where he died February 6, 1866; interment in Bean Cemetery.

1832: Born - George M Lovering (Springfield): Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient.

He served as a First Lieutenant in the Union Army. He was awarded the Medal of Honor as a First Sergeant in Company I, 4th Massachusetts Infantry for action on June 14, 1863 at Port Hudson, Louisiana. His citation reads "During a momentary confusion in the ranks caused by other troops rushing upon the regiment, this soldier, with coolness and determination, rendered efficient aid in preventing a panic among the troops."

1892: Born - William Nathaniel Rogers, a Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1923 - 1924 and 1931 - 1936

Rogers was born in Sanbornville, Carroll County, N.H., January 10, 1892;

He attended the public schools, Brewster Free Academy, Wolfeboro, N.H., and Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.; was graduated from the law department of the University of Maine at Orono in 1916; was admitted to the bar the same year and practiced in Sanbornville and Rochester, N.H.; member of the State house of representatives in 1917, 1919, and 1921; elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1923-March 3, 1925); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1924 to the Sixty-ninth Congress; resumed the practice of his profession in Concord, N.H.; moderator of the town of Wakefield, N.H., 1928-1945; elected January 5, 1932, to fill the vacancy in the Seventy-second Congress caused by the death of Fletcher Hale; reelected to the Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth Congresses and served from January 5, 1932, to January 3, 1937;

Hewas not a candidate for renomination, but was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate in 1936; resumed the practice of law in Concord, N.H., until 1943, when he moved to Sanbornville, N.H., and continued practice until his death in Wolfeboro, N.H., September 25, 1945; interment in Lovell Lake Cemetery, Sanbornville, N.H.

Born - 1838: Francis H Goodall (Bath, New Hampshire) - Medal of Honor Recipient Awarded for actions during the Civil War The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to First Sergeant Francis Henry Goodall, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 13 December 1862,

While serving with Company G, 11th New Hampshire Infantry, in action at Fredericksburg, Virginia. With the assistance of another soldier First Sergeant Goodall brought a wounded comrade into the lines, under heavy fire. General Orders: Date of Issue: December 14, 1894 Action Date: December 13, 1862

Born: 1841 - Henry Moore Baker, Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1893 - 1896;

Henry Baker was born in Bow, near Concord, N.H., January 11, 1841;

He attended the common schools, Pembroke, Tilton, and Hopkinton Academies, New Hampshire; was graduated from the New Hampshire Conference Seminary in 1859, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1863, and the law school of Columbian (now George Washington) University, Washington, D.C., in 1866; was admitted to the bar in 1866; clerk in the War and Treasury Departments 1864-1874; commenced the practice of law in Washington, D.C., in 1874; judge advocate general of the National Guard of New Hampshire in 1886 and 1887 with rank of brigadier general; member of the State senate in 1891 and 1892; elected as a Republican to the Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth Congresses (March 3, 1893-March 3, 1897);

Hewas not a candidate for renomination in 1896; resumed the practice of his profession in Washington, D.C., but retained his legal residence in Bow, N.H.; member of the New Hampshire house of representatives 1905-1909; died in Washington, D.C., May 30, 1912; interment in Alexander Cemetery, Bow, N.H.

Samuel Langdon was Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1723, Langdon attended Boston Latin School and graduated from Harvard in 1740. While teaching in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, he studied theology, and was licensed to preach. In 1745, he was appointed chaplain of a regiment, and was present at the capture of Fortress Louisbourg. On his return, he was appointed assistant to Reverend James Fitch of the North Church of Portsmouth. He was ordained as pastor in 1747, and continued in that charge till 1774, when he became president of Harvard.

At Harvard, his ardent patriotism led him to adopt measures that were obnoxious to the Tory students, and although he endeavored to administer the government of the college with justice, his resignation was virtually compelled in 1780.

The following year, he became pastor of the Congregational church at Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. In 1788, he was a delegate to the New Hampshire convention that adopted the Constitution of the United States, often led its debates, and did much to remove prejudice against the Constitution. Langdon was distinguished as a scholar and theologian, and exerted a wide influence in his community. The University of Aberdeen gave him the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1762. He was a charter member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

He published Summary of Christian Faith and Practice (1768); Observations on the Revelations (1791); Remarks on the Leading Sentiments of Dr. Hopkins's System of Doctrines (1794) and many sermons. In 1761, in connection with Colonel Joseph Blanchard, he prepared and published a map of New Hampshire. Langdon died in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire on 29 November 1797.

1779 -Born: William Badger - the twenty-third governor of New Hampshire, was born in Gilmanton, New Hampshire on January 13, 1779.

His education was attained in an academy in Gilmanton. Before embarking into politics, Badger established a successful business career. He was instrumental in building several mills, as well as a factory in his hometown. Badger first entered politics as trustee of Gilmanton Academy, a position he was elected to in 1804, and from which he later served as chairman of the board. From 1805 to 1812 he was an aide to Governor John Langdon; and from 1810 to 1812 he served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

Badger served as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1814 to 1817; was senate president from 1816 to 1817; and served on the common pleas court bench from 1816 to 1820. He also served as the Strafford County high sheriff from 1820 to 1830; and was a presidential elector in 1824, 1836 and 1844.

Badger next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1834. He was reelected to a second term in 1835. During his tenure, legislation was sanctioned that facilitated smallpox prevention; improvements to the state militia were lobbied for; and penal reforms were endorsed. After completing his term, Badger retired from political life. Governor William Badger passed away in Gilmanton on September 21, 1852.

William Badger New Hampshire State House Portrait

William Badger New Hampshire State House Portrait Plate

1808 - Born: Salmon Portland Chase, (nephew of Dudley Chase, cousin of Dudley Chase Denison, and father-in-law of William Sprague [1830-1915]), a Senator from Ohio; born in Cornish, N.H., January 13, 1808;

Salmon attended schools at Windsor, Vermont, Worthington, Ohio, and the Cincinnati (Ohio) College; graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1826; taught school; studied law in Washington, D.C.; admitted to the bar in 1829; commenced practice in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1830; elected as a Whig to the Cincinnati City Council in 1840; identified himself in 1841 with the Liberty Party, and later with the Free Soil Party; elected to the United States Senate as a Free Soil candidate and served from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1855

He waselected Governor of Ohio in 1855 as a Free Soil Democrat and reelected in 1857 as a Republican; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1860; took his seat March 4, 1861, but resigned two days later to become Secretary of the Treasury under President Abraham Lincoln; served as Secretary of the Treasury until July 1864, when he resigned; member of the peace convention of 1861 held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war; Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court from December 1864 until his death on May 7, 1873; presided at the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson in 1868; died in New York City; interment in Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.; reinterment in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio.

1730 - Born: William Whipple - a Delegate from New Hampshire; born in Kittery, York County, Maine, January 14, 1730;

Williambecame a sailor and engaged in the slave trade; freed his slaves and engaged in mercantile pursuits in Portsmouth, N.H.; delegate to the Provincial Congress at Exeter in 1775; Member of the Continental Congress 1776-1779; declined to be a candidate for renomination; one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence

Commissioned a brigadier general in 1777; member of the State assembly 1780-1784; participated in several battles in the Revolutionary War; appointed judge of the State supreme court in 1782; financial receiver for New Hampshire 1782-1784; died in Portsmouth, N.H., November 28, 1785; interment in the Old North Burial Ground.

William Whipple New Hampshire State House Portrait

William Whipple New Hampshire State House Portrait Plate

1826 - Born: Lt. Colonel Oliver Woodbury Lull.

Oliver was born in Weare, the son of Moses Lull. He was an officer in the army, t Colonel Oliver Woodbury Lull killed in battle at Port Hudson, aged 37 years & 5 months. U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles: Name: Oliver Woodbury Lull

Residence: Milford, NH Occupation: Lawyer Enlistment Date: 10 Jan 1861

Rank at enlistment: Lieut Colonel State Served: New Hampshire Service Record: Commissioned an officer in Company S, New Hampshire 8th Infantry Regiment on 25 Dec 1861. Mustered out on 27 May 1863 at Port Hudson, LA

Lt Colonel Oliver Woodbury Lull, Weare NH

1671 - Born: John Wentworth in Portsmouth New Hampshire

John Wentworth, known as "Lieutenant-Governor John,"* son of Samuel and Mary (Benning) Wentworth, born 16 January 1671, in Portsmouth New Hampshire. In 1708 he was a sea-captain. He was appointed Counsellor, by Queen Anne, 14 February 1711-12, in place of Winthrop Hilton, deceased.

He was Justice of the Court of Common Pleas from 1713 to 1718. In 1717 he was appointed Lieutenaut-Governor of New Hampshire, which office he held until his death, 12 December 1730. At this period, New Hampshire had only a Lieutenant-Governor resident, the governorship being the same with that of Massachusetts.

From the date when Gov. Samuel Shute left for England, in June 1723, to the arrival of his successor, Gov. William Burnett, in America, in 1728, Lt.-Gov. John Wentworth was in exclusive charge of the government of the Province. Gov. Shute left suddenly, while the people were in the distresses and perplexities of

His son Benning Wentworth was Governor of New Hampshire 1741 till his death, 14 October 1770; succeeded by John Wentworth, grandson of Lieut.-Governor John, who served until the Revolution, and was the last royal governor.

Governor John Wentworth NH State House Portrait

1782 - Born: Daniel Webster - Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1813 - 1816; Daniel was born in Salisbury, N.H., January 18, 1782;

Daniel attended district schools and Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, N.H.; graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1801; principal of an academy at Fryeburg, Maine, in 1802; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1805 and commenced practice in Boscawen, near Salisbury, N.H.; moved to Portsmouth, N.H., in 1807 and continued the practice of law; elected as a Federalist from New Hampshire to the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Congresses (March 4, 1813-March 3, 1817); was not a candidate for reelection in 1816 to the Fifteenth Congress; moved to Boston, Mass., in 1816; achieved national fame as counsel representing Dartmouth College before the United States Supreme Court in the Dartmouth College case 1816-1819

Delegate to the Massachusetts State constitutional convention in 1820; elected from Massachusetts to the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Congresses and served from March 4, 1823, to May 30, 1827; did not serve in the Twentieth Congress; chairman, Committee on the Judiciary (Eighteenth and Nineteenth Congresses); elected as Adams (later Anti-Jacksonian) on June 8, 1827, to the United States Senate for the term beginning March 4, 1827, credentials presented on December 3, 1827, and took oath of office on December 17, 1827; reelected as a Whig in 1833 and 1839 and served until his resignation, effective February 22, 1841; chairman, Committee on Finance (Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses)

Unsuccessful Whig candidate for president in 1836; appointed Secretary of State by President William Henry Harrison and again by President John Tyler and served from 1841 to 1843; again elected as a Whig to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1845, to July 22, 1850, when he resigned; appointed Secretary of State by President Millard Fillmore and served from July 22, 1850, until his death in Marshfield, Massachusetts., October 24, 1852; interment in the Winslow Cemetery.

Daniel Webster, NH State Library Portrait

Osgood T. Hadley, Congressional Medal Of Honor Recipient

1870 - Born : Jesse M Barton in Newport, New Hampshire

Jesse M . Barton of Newport , a native of that town , born January 21 , 1870 .He is a son of the late Hon . Levi Barton of Newport , who was prominent in politics and at the bar inherits many of the sterling traits which characterized his father . He was educated in the public schools , at Kimball Union academy , Meri den , and at Dartmouth college , graduating from the latter in 1892 .

He subsequently engaged in teaching , being for some time principal of the Simonds Free High school of Warner , but meantime pursued the study of the law , which he continued at the Boston University Law school . Upon his admission to the bar in 1899 he commenced practice in his native town.

As a new State representative, Barton introduced the first Bill ever presented to the State Legislature for a system of State highways. Barton was noticed by Governor Rollins and others who supported building better highways.

Barton was appointed Judge of Probate for Sullivan County (1906-1917) and Chairman of the Republican State Committee (1912 - 1914). Elected to the State Senate in 1917, Barton served as President of the Senate (1917 - 1919). He remained active in state politics through the 1920s and was elected to Governor Winant's Executive Council (1925-1927)

Born - 1822 : Hon. John W. Sanborn was born in Wakefield, NH., January 22, 1822.

From an early age he received many of the advantages of being a member of the Sanborn family. With these he had the power to have the best education. When he was eighteen he became a teacher of winter terms of school, gave satisfaction both as instructor and disciplinarian, and taught 20 terms with success.

This career was not broad nor active enough for him. He became interested in probate business, and for many years conducted causes in its court, and at one time did more of this work than any other in the county. He was active as a Wakefield Selectman and elected as a State Representative in 1861 and a State Senator in 1863. He was an executive advisor to Governor Gilman and helped raise money for the 13th NH Volunteers. In 1874 and 1875 he was elected State Senator.

In 1875 his abilities as a leader and executive officer were recognized in his election as President of the Senate. During his lifetime he held many prominent positions such as a Republican delegate to the 1902 to the NH State Constitutional Convention. He died on July 9, 1903.

John W Sanborn NH State House Portrait Plate

1832 - Born. George Eugene Belknap. Rear Admiral, United States Navy George Eugene Belknap, Naval Officer, born in Newport, New Hampshire, 22 January 1832.

He was appointed Midshipman from New Hampshire, 7 October 1847; became passed Midshipman, 10 June 1853, master in 1855; was commissioned Lieutenant, 16 September 1855 ; Lieutenant Commander, 15 July 1862; and Commander, 25 July 1866. As a Lieutenant he commanded a launch at the capture of the Barrier forts at the mouth of the Canton river, China, in November 1856, and assisted in undermining and blowing up the four forts. He commanded the boats of the "St. Louis" at the reinforcement of Fort Piekens in April 1861, and was commanding officer of the iron-clad "New Ironsides" in her various engagements with the fortifications in Charleston harbor from 1862 till 1864.

He was highly praised by Admirals Dupont and Dahlgren for ability in making the attacks and managing his vessel under fire. In 1864 he commanded the gun-boat "Seneca" of the North Atlantic blockading squadron, and afterward the iron-clad "Canonicus " in the two actions with Howlett House battery in December 1864, and in the attacks on Fort Fisher in that and the following month. After the capture of the fort he went to Charleston, and was present at the evacuation. He commanded the same vessel in Admiral Godon's expedition to Havana in search of the confederate ironclad " Stonewall." His name was associated with those of Commanders Parrott and Calhoun and Lieutenant Weaver in a commendatory letter of Admiral Porter declaring that these officers had given a world-wide reputation to the monitors by their efficient handling of the new type of vessel.

In 1867-'8 Commander Belknap commanded the flag-ship "Hartford " of the Asiatic squadron; in 1869 he was on navigation duty at the Boston navy yard; in 1874 he was engaged in command of the steamer "Tuscarora" in taking deep-sea soundings in the North Pacific ocean, with the task of finding a route for a submarine cable between the United States and Japan. He was made a Commodore, 2 March 1885, and appointed superintendent of the naval observatory. Born at Newport, New Hampshire, January 22, 1832, he was appointed a Midshipman, 1852, and subsequently promoted through the grades to Rear Admiral, 1889. He married Ellen D. Reed, December 8, 1861; and married a second time to Frances G. Prescott, of Calcutta, India, December 23, 1866.

Was in fighting service in China, and the capture of the Barrier Forts, 1856, and throughout the Civil War, participating in the bombardments of forts and batteries in Charleston Harbor. In both fights at Fort Fisher. In 1873, he was ordered to the steamer USS Tuscarora to make deep-water soundings in the North Pacific with a view to submarine cable. His discoveries concerning topography of the ocean bed were recognized by scientists of the world. He was senior officer at Honolulu at the time of disturbances at the election of King Kalukaua. At various times was in command of US Navy Yards at Norfolk, Pensacola, Mare Island and was the Superindentent of the Naval Observatory at Washington, D.C. He was President of the Navy Torpedo Board and President of the Navy Board of Inspection and Survey.

In command of the USS Alaska, in South American waters at the time of the difficulty between Chile and Peru. Commander of the U.S. Fleet in the Asiatic Station, 1890-1902; Chairman, Board of Commissioners, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a memebr of the Loyal Legion of the United States, Naval Order of the United States, Sons of the American Revolution and the Grand Army of the Republic. He died at Key West, Florida, April 7, 1903. He was buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery under a private memorial which reads, in part: "Died on duty, Key West, 1903"

1809: Born - Edmund Burke - , Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1839 - 1844.

Edmund Burke was born in Westminster, Vt., January 23, 1809; attended the public schools; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1826 and commenced practice in Colebrook, N.H.; moved to Claremont, N.H., in 1833 and assumed editorial management of the New Hampshire Argus; moved to Newport in 1834 and united the Argus with the Spectator of that place, continuing as editor for several years

Commissioned as adjutant in the State militia in 1837 and as brigade inspector in 1838; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-sixth, Twenty-seventh, and Twenty-eighth Congresses (March 4, 1839-March 3, 1845); was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1844; appointed Commissioner of Patents by President Polk and served from May 5, 1846, to September 3, 1850; resumed the practice of law in Newport, N.H.; delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1844 and 1852; delegate to the Democratic State convention in 1867, and served as presiding officer; member of the State board of agriculture in 1871; died in Newport, Sullivan County, N.H., January 25, 1882; interment in Maple Grove Cemetery.

1830: Born - Brigadier General George W Gile. George W. Gile was born on 25 January 1830 in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, Aaron and Persis Rix Gile’s only child.

At 14 George was apprenticed to a local printer but two years later, with the advent of the Mexican War in 1846, 16-year-old George enlisted in the state militia as a private. His father, however, saw the folly of this impetuous move and convinced the recruiter to nullify the enlistment of his only son. Shortly after suffering this disappointment, George moved to Boston to pursue a new career – acting. Although little is known of his stage career, George must have been reasonably successful because in 1854 he moved to Philadelphia and the next year married Emma Virginia Shuster. By 1857, George and Virginia welcomed their first son, George W. Gile, Jr. (their second child, Benjamin Clark Gile, was born in 1872).

With the firing on Fort Sumter, George offered his services to the Union, enlisting as a private in the 22nd Pennsylvania’s Company I. This time, though, not only wasn’t his father around to quash George’s military ambitions, but his commanding deportment—over six feet tall, George added a leadership presence cultivated during his time on the stage—led to Gile’s instant elevation on April 23, 1861 to a commission as a first lieutenant, leading the 22nd Pennsylvania’s Company D. Recognizing George’s achievements during the 22nd’s brief existence, McLean offered him a field-grade position in the new 88th Pennsylvania, which newly-minted Major Gile readily accepted.

Although the regiment had yet to be issued muskets, its training was “complete” and departed for Washington and the seat of war on Saturday, 5 October 1861. The 88th’s time in the capital was brief and on 12 October boarded a ship crossing the Potomac to Alexandria, Virginia. Marching up historic King Street, the regiment was soon camped in in yard of Christ Episcopal Church—the men proudly noted that George Washington had attended worship there; they would have been less pleased had they know Robert E. Lee had more recently been a member of the congregation—where they received muskets, which the regimental historian recalled were sadly “a species of ancient weapon difficult to classify.” Still, they were finally armed soldiers, ready to do their part to save the Union.

1845: Born - George E. Albee (Lisbon NH) Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

George Albee was born in Lisbon, New Hampshire. He enlisted in Company G (Wisconsin), Berdan's Sharpshooters in June 1862. After two months in the field he was wounded at the Second Battle of Bull Run and discharged for disability while convalescing. In1863 he enlisted again as an artilleryman in the 3rd Wisconsin Light Artillery but was discharged to accept a commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the 36th Wisconsin Infantry; he was later promoted to 1st Lieutenant. After the Civil War Albee served as a lieutenant in the 36th U.S. Colored Infantry (1866), 41st U.S. Infantry (1866–1869), 24th U.S. Infantry (1869-1878).

Albee was awarded the Medal of Honor in January 1894 for his actions in Brazos River, Texas on October 28, 1869 while serving with the 41st United States Infantry Regiment. He retired from the US Army in 1878, and later became Captain of the "National Blues" Company D 2nd Regiment Connecticut National Guard in 1891. Shortly thereafter, Albee was promoted to Major and Brigade Inspector of Rifle Practice of the Connecticut National Guard

1986: Challenger Tragedy. Christa McAuliffe - Teacher in Space lost her life in the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion.

PERSONAL DATA: Born September 2, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts. She is survived by husband Steven and two children. Her listed recreational interests included jogging, tennis, and volleyball. EDUCATION: Graduated from Marian High School, Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1966; received a bachelor of arts degree, Framingham State College, 1970; and a masters degree in education, Bowie State College, Bowie, Maryland, 1978.

ORGANIZATIONS: Board member, New Hampshire Council of Social Studies; National Council of Social Studies; Concord Teachers Association; New Hampshire Education Association; and the National Education Association. AWARDS: Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES: Member, Junior Service League; teacher, Christian Doctrine Classes, St. Peters Church; host family, A Better Chance Program (ABC), for inner-city students; and fundraiser for Concord Hospital and Concord YMCA. EXPERIENCE:

1970-1971 Benjamin Foulois Junior High School, Morningside, Maryland. Teacher. American history, 8th grade.
1971-1978 Thomas Johnson Junior High School, Lanham, Maryland. Teacher. English and American history, 8th grade and civics, 9th grade.
1978-1979 Rundlett Junior High School, Concord, New Hampshire. Teacher, 7th grade and American history, 8th grade.
1980-1982 Bow Memorial (Middle) School, Bow, New Hampshire. Teacher. Social Studies, 9th grade.
1982-1985 Concord High School, Concord, New Hampshire. Teacher. Courses in economics, law, American history, and a course she developed entitled The American Woman, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Christa McAuliffe was selected as the primary candidate for the NASA Teacher in Space Project on July 19, 1985. She was a payload specialist on STS 51-L which was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 11:38:00 EST on January 28, 1986. The crew on board the Orbiter Challenger included the spacecraft commander, Mr. F.R. Scobee, the pilot, Commander M.J. Smith (USN), three mission specialists, Dr. R.E. McNair, Lieutenant Colonel E.S. Onizuka (USAF), and Dr. J.A. Resnik, and fellow civilian payload specialist, Mr. G.B. Jarvis. The STS 51-L crew died on January 28, 1986 when Challenger exploded after launch.

1852 - Born: David Arthur Taggart in Goffstown, New Hampshire.

He attended Manchester High School and Harvard College (1878). Studied Law with Judge David Cross in Manchester. Admitted to the NH Bar in 1881. Elected to the NH State House of Representatives in 1883 . At age 25 he chaired the Committee on Elections and was elected Senate President in1889.

He served as Acting Governor for the Ailing Governor Goodell at the request of the NH Supreme Court. After losing a race for the US Congress, he returned to Manchester Law practice. He died on February 9, 1922 of Arterio Sclerosis.

David Arthur Taggart NH Senate President 1889 Goffstown NH

1769 - Born - Charles Cutts in Portsmouth. Charles Cutts, a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Portsmouth, N.H., January 31, 1769;

He graduated from Harvard University in 1789; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1795 and practiced; member, State house of representatives 1803-1810, serving as speaker in 1807, 1808, and 1810; elected as a Federalist to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Nahum Parker and served from June 21, 1810, to March 3, 1813; subsequently appointed to fill the vacancy occurring at the close of his term and served from April 2, 1813, to June 15, 1813;

Elected secretary of the United States Senate and served from October 12, 1814, to December 12, 1825; moved to Fairfax County, Va., and settled near Lewinsville, Va., where he died January 25, 1846; interment in a private cemetery near Lewinsville, Fairfax County, Va.

1760: Born - Bradbury Cilley - US Congressman. Born in Nottingham NH on February 1, 1760.

A member of a family prominent in New Hampshire politics and government, he was educated locally and became a farmer. In 1798 he was appointed US Marshal for New Hampshire, an office he held until 1802. In 1812 he was elected to the US House of Representatives as a Federalist and served two terms, 1813 to 1817. An active militia officer, Cilley served as a Colonel and military aide to Governor John T. Gilman from 1814-1816.

After leaving Congress Cilley retired from public life and resumed farming in Nottingham. He was the uncle of Congressman Jonathan Cilley of Maine and US Senator Joseph Cilley of New Hampshire

1835 - Born: General John Leverett Thompson in Plymouth, New Hampshire

Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. A native of New Hampshire, after receiving his law degree from Harvard University in 1856, he studied at universities in Berlin and Munich, Germany and Paris, France from 1859 to 1860. Upon returning to the United States, he moved to Chicago, Illinois. After the Civil War started he enlisted in the Union Army, and was mustered in as a Private in Battery A, 1st Illinois Volunteer Light Artillery on April 19, 1861.

Promoted to Corporal, his health became compromised, and he was discharged on a surgeon’s certificate on July 16, 1861. Returning to his family’s home in Worcester Massachusetts to recuperate, while there New Hampshire Nathaniel S. Governor Berry offered him commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant in a cavalry battalion that was intended contain a company from each of the New England States. However, the full regiment was accepted by the state of Rhode Island, and on October 19, 1861, he was mustered in into Company K, 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Cavalry. Promoted Captain on December 3, 1861, the unit was attached to Major General Irwin McDowell's forces in 1862. He participated in 1862 battles of Port Royal, Port Republic, Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run and Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was successively promoted to Major on July 1, 1862, and Lieutenant Colonel on July 11, 1862.

During the June-July 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry was captured or killed nearly en masse at the Battle of Middleburg, and Colonel Thompson was one of few men of the regiment to fight his way out and avoid capture. In March 1864 he resigned his Rhode Island commission to accept promotion to Colonel and to assume command of the 1st New Hampshire Volunteer Cavalry. Towards the end of the war he led his command into the Shenandoah Valley, where the fought at the Third Battle of Winchester, the Battle of Waynesboro, and the Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia, where they were the first to breach Confederate artillery.

Brevetted Brigadier General, US Volunteers on March 13, 1865 for “distinguished and meritorious services”, he was honorably mustered out on July 15, 1865 at Cloud’s Mill, Virginia. After the war, he resumed law practice and opened his own Chicago law firm in 1866 with a fellow Civil War veteran. The firm soon became prominent in the city, and counted industrialist George M. Pullman, former United States First lady Mary Todd Lincoln and the Western Union Telegraph Company as clients. At the time of his death on January 31,1888 he was president of the Union League Club of Chicago, president of the Citizens' Association, president of the Chicago Dartmouth Alumni Association and president of the Loyal Legion.

Promoted to Full Private (Co A 1st IL LA (mustered out 07/16/61)) Promoted to Full 1st Lieut (1st RI Cav) Promoted to Full Captain Promoted to Full Major Promoted to Full Lt Colonel ((resigned 03/24/64)) Promoted to Full Colonel (1st NH Cav) Promoted to Brevet Brig-Gen

1911: Born - Richard O'Kane (Dover) ;

Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to COMMANDER RICHARD H. O'KANE UNITED STATES NAVY for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of the USS TANG operating against two enemy Japanese convoys on October 23 and 24, 1944, during her Fifth and last War Patrol. Boldly maneuvering on the surface into the midst of a heavily escorted convoy, Commander O'Kane stood in a fusillade of bullets and shells from all directions to launch smashing hits on three tankers, coolly swung his ship to fire at a freighter and, in a split second decision, shot out of the path of an onrushing transport, missing it by inches. Boxed in by blazing tankers, a freighter, transport and several destroyers, he blasted two of the targets with his remaining torpedoes and, with pyrotechnics bursting on all sides, cleared the area. Twenty-four hours later, he again made contact with a heavily escorted convoy steaming to support the Leyte campaign with reinforcements and supplies and with crated planes piled high on each unit. In defiance of the enemy' relentless fire, he closed the concentration of ships and in quick succession sent two torpedoes each into the first and second transports and an adjacent tanker, finding his mark with each torpedo in a series of violent explosions at less than a thousand-yard range. With ships bearing down from all sides, he charged the enemy at high speed, exploding the tanker in a burst of flame, smashing the transport dead in the water and blasting the destroyer with a mighty roar which rocked the TANG from stem to stern. Expending his last two torpedoes into the remnants of a once powerful convoy before his own ship went down, Commander O'Kane aided by his gallant command, achieved an illustrious record of heroism in combat, enhancing the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

RADM Richard Hetherington O'Kane, USN (1911-1994)

Richard Hetherington O'Kane was born in Dover, NH on 2 February 1911.

He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1934, served aboard the cruiser Chester and destroyer Pruitt, received submarine instruction in 1938, and served on USS Argonaut until 1942. Lieutenant O'Kane then joined the pre-commissioning crew of the submarine Wahoo, serving as her Executive Officer under Commanding Officer Dudley W. Morton, and establishing a record as a very promising tactician.

In July 1943, Lieutenant Commander O'Kane became Prospective Commanding Officer of USS Tang, which he commanded throughout her entire career. In five war patrols, Tang sank an officially recognized total of 24 Japanese ships, establishing one of the Pacific War's top records for submarine achievement. He was captured by the Japanese when his ship was sunk off China in October 1944, and was secretly held prisoner until the war's end ten months later. Following his release, Commander O'Kane was awarded the Medal of Honor for his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" during his submarine's final operations against Japanese shipping.

Following WW II, Commander O'Kane served in the Pacific Reserve Fleet as Commanding Officer of the submarine tender Pelias, testified at Japanese war crimes trials, was Executive Officer of the submarine tender Nereus and Commander of Submarine Division 32. He attended the Armed Forces Staff College in 1950-51, and was assigned to Submarine School at New London, CT, initially as an instructor and, in 1952-53, as Officer in Charge.

Promoted to Captain in July 1953, he commanded the submarine tender Sperry until June 1954 and became Commander Submarine Squadron Seven. After attending Naval War College in 1955-56, he served in Washington, DC, with the Ship Characteristics Board. Captain O'Kane retired in July 1957 and, on the basis of his extensive combat awards, was simultaneously advanced to Rear Admiral on the Retired List. He died on 16 February 1994.

The guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane (DDG-77) is named in honor of Rear Admiral O'Kane.

1821: Born - Aaron Harrison Cragin, a Representative and a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Weston, Windsor County, Vt., February 3, 1821.

Aaroncompleted preparatory studies; studied law; admitted to the bar in Albany, N.Y., in 1847 and commenced practice in Lebanon, N.H.; member, New Hampshire house of representatives 1852-1855; elected by the American Party to the Thirty-fourth Congress and as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1855-March 3, 1859); chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War (Thirty-fourth Congress); resumed the practice of law; member, State house of representatives 1859

Elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1864; reelected in 1870 and served from March 4, 1865, to March 3, 1877; chairman, Committee on Engrossed Bills (Thirty-ninth Congress), Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expense (Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses), Committee on Naval Affairs (Forty-first and Forty-third Congresses), Committee on Railroads (Forty-third and Forty-fourth Congresses)

Appointed by President Rutherford Hayes as one of the commissioners for the purchase of the Hot Springs Reservation in Arkansas and served as chairman 1877-1879; died in Washington, D.C., May 10, 1898; interment in School Street Cemetery, Lebanon, N.H.

Lemuel Noyes Pattee was born in Haverhill Massachusetts on February 5, 1804.

His family moved soon thereafter to Goffstown, New Hampshire.He attended the public school, and there received the foundation for an education on a more extended scale than was to be acquired in the district school.
     While yet of tender years he was placed in the office of Judge Charles H. Gove (then a resident of the town), and under the private tuition of that distinguished jurist became fitted for the discharge of the responsible duties of later life. Mr. Pattee, after leaving the office of Judge Gove, worked as a farmer during the summer months for several years, and during the winter taught in the district schools, of several of the adjoining towns with a good degree of success.
In 1827 he married Vashti L., daughter of Joseph and Margaret Little, of Goffstown. They had one child,--Mary F., who was born March 29, 1828, and was married to John B. Woodbury, of Antrim, N.H., March 6, 1849.
     Mr. Pattee was a proprietor of a country store for several years, and in this department of industry achieved a good degree of success.
     In 1842 he was elected register of Probate, and in September of that year removed to Amherst, N.H., at that time the county-seat of Hillsborough County, where for ten years, he discharged the duties of that responsible office with rare intelligence.
     During his residence in Amherst he represented the town in the General Court. At the close of his service as register of Probate he removed to Antrim, in the same county, which town he also represented in the General Court.
     At the June session of 1855, Mr. Pattee was elected Secretary of State, and served to June, 1858, being re-elected each year. He discharged his duties of this responsible office with singular fidelity, and, as a matter of political history, was the first Secretary of State elected under a Republican administration, Hon. Ralph Metcalf being Governor.
Mr. Pattee was an active member of the Whig party, and assisted in the formation of the Republican party, and acted with it up to the time of his death, with but one exception. Being an admirer of General George B. McClellan, he voted for him for President.
     Mr. Pattee was liberal in his religious views, was a constant attendant upon and a liberal contributor to the support of public worship. He was a genial man, an interesting and fluent talker, a good citizen and much respected by all who knew him.
     A beautiful portrait in oil, the gift of his widow, hangs in the office of the Secretary of State, from a copy of which the accompanying engraving was made.
     Mr. Pattee died April 1, 1870, aged sixty-six years, and was buried in the family lot in Goffstown, N.H.

Lemuel Noyes Pattee NH State House Portrait

Lemuel Noyes Pattee NH State House Portrait Plate

1804 - Born: Charles Hazen Peaslee

Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1847 - 1852. Charles was born in Gilmanton, N.H., on February 6, 1804; attended Gilmanton Academy, and was graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1824; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1828 and commenced practice in Concord, N.H.; member of the State house of representatives 1833-1837; adjutant general of the State militia 1839-1847; elected as a Democrat to the Thirtieth, Thirty-first, and Thirty-second Congresses (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1853)

Chairman, Committee on Militia (Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses); was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1852; collector of the port of Boston by appointment of President Pierce 1853-1857; moved to Portsmouth, N.H., in 1860; died while on a visit to St. Paul, Minn., on September 18, 1866; interment in Harmony Grove Cemetery, Portsmouth, N.H.

1870: Born - Sherman Everett Burroughs: , Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1917 - 1922

Sherman was born in Dunbarton, Merrimack County, N.H., February 6, 1870; attended the public schools, and was graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1894; private secretary to Congressman Henry M. Baker, 1894-1897; was graduated from the law school of Columbian College (now George Washington University), Washington, D.C., in 1896; was admitted to the bar in 1896 and commenced practice in Manchester, N.H., in 1897; member of the State house of representatives in 1901 and 1902; member of the State board of charities and corrections 1901-1907; member of the State board of equalization in 1909 and 1910

Elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fifth Congress in a special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative Cyrus A. Sulloway, and reelected to the two succeeding Congresses (May 29, 1917-January 27, 1923); declined to be a candidate for reelection to the Sixty-eighth Congress in 1922; died in Washington, D.C., January 27, 1923; interment in Valley Cemetery, Manchester, N.H.

1834: Born - Henry Oakes Kent - Henry Oakes Kent was born in Lancaster, February 7, 1834.

Henry attended the district school and Lancaster Academy, and graduated from Norwich Military University in the class of 1854, receiving later the degree of A. M. He studied law with Hon Jacob Benton, and was admitted to the bar at Lancaster in May, 1858. Soon after, he became the proprietor of the Coos Republican, and assumed the editorial and business management of that paper, his strong interest in political affairs and the fortunes of the Republican party, with which he was actively indentified, impelling him to this step, in taking which he relinquished the prospect of a successful and distinguished career at the bar. In the management of the Republican, both financial and editorial, he displayed rare skill and ability. His leading articles were always strong, vigorous, earnest, and secured for his paper, notwithstanding its remote location from the Capital, an influential position among the party journals of the state.

It is safe to say that from the time when he assumed its management until 1870, when he sold it,—a period of twelve years,—no paper in the state rendered more efficient support to the party with which it was allied, or advocated more heartily all measures tending to advance the material prosperity of the section in which it was located, than did the Coos Republican under the direction of Col. Kent.

1770 - Born: Samuel Bell, the fourteenth Governor of New Hampshire, was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire on February 9, 1770.

His education was attained at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1793. He studied law, and then established his legal career in Francestown, New Hampshire. Bell first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1804 to 1807 and from which he also served as speaker from 1805 to 1807. From 1807 to 1809 he was a member and president of the New Hampshire State Senate, and from 1809 to 1811 he served on the Executive Council. Bell also was a Dartmouth College trustee from 1808 to 1811, and served on the New Hampshire superior court bench from 1816 to 1819.

He next secured the Democratic-Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1819. He won reelection in 1820, 1821, and 1822. During his tenure, the state’s crime rate was reduced; industrial developments were promoted and advanced; and the abolishment of the Toleration Act was endorsed. After completing his term, Bell was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served from 1823 to 1835. Governor Samuel Bell passed away on December 23, 1850, and was buried in the Village Cemetery in Chester, New Hampshire.

Samuel Bell NH State House Portrait Plate

Nh Governor Samuel Bell Grave - Chester NH

1786 - BORN: TITUS BROWN (ALSTEAD) - REPRESENTED NEW HAMPSHIRE IN CONGRESS FROM 1825 - 1828

Titus Brown , a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Alstead, Cheshire County, N.H., February 11, 1786

Titus graduated from Middlebury (Vt.) College in 1811; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Reading, Vt., in 1814; moved to Francestown, N.H., in 1817 and continued the practice of law; member of the State house of representatives 1820-1825; solicitor of Hillsborough County 1823-1825 and 1829-1834; elected as a Adams candidate to the Nineteenth and Twentieth Congresses (March 4, 1825-March 3, 1829)

Hewas not a candidate for reelection in 1828; member of the State senate and served as its president in 1842; chairman of the boards of bank and railroad commissioners at the time of his death; died in Francestown, N.H., January 29, 1849; interment in Mill Village Cemetery.

1820: Born (Portsmouth) - Thomas Logan Tullock. US Postmaster in Washington 1882

Thomas Logan Tullock was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on February 11, 1820. After an education in Portsmouth he worked for Major Samuel Larkin, a Portsmouth commission merchant and auctioneer. He stayed with Major Larkin for several years, leaving on May 24, 1841 to become the confidential clerk for the Portsmouth Postmaster, Colonel Samuel Gookin. He resigned his position on July 19, 1842 and went to New York City. In 1845.

Tullock returned to Portsmouth to handle the accounts and overall management of Gookin & Stearns, an important manufacturer of textile mill and factory equipment. The firm failed in 1848. Tullock was appointed Trustee of the bankruptcy and earned much praise in handling the matter. Thomas Tullock then served as Postmaster of Portsmouth (May 1849 - May 1853) and was then made treasurer of the Portsmouth & Concord Railroad (May 1853 - June 1858).

In June of 1858, the NH State Legislature appointed Tullock Secretary of State in which he served from June 1858 to June 1861. At this time, Tullock commenced the Portrait Gallery of the Governors and other citizens which had steadily increased until it became one of the most valuable and highly prized institutions of the State. In August of 1865 he was appointed in the Office of Secretary of the Union Republican Congressional Committee with headquarters in Washington, D.C. Upon the election of General Grant.

Mr. Tullock was appointed Chief of the Appointment Division of the Treasury Department and later Collector of Internal Revenue for the District of Columbia. He held this office until 1876. The next year he was appointed Assistant Postmaster of Washington D.C. and in 1882 he was appointed Postmaster of Washington D.C. He died on June 20, 1883.

Thomas Logan Tullock NH State House Portrait

Thomas Logan Tullock NH State House Portrait Plate

1812 - Born: Henry Wilson, a Senator from Massachusetts and a Vice President of the United States

Born Jeremiah Jones Colbath in Farmington, N.H., February 16, 1812; worked on a farm; attended the common schools; had his name legally changed by the legislature to Henry Wilson in 1833; moved to Natick, Mass., in 1833 and learned the shoemaker’s trade

He attended the Strafford, Wolfsboro, and Concord Academies for short periods; taught school in Natick, Mass., where he later engaged in the manufacture of shoes; member of the State legislature between 1841 and 1852; owner and editor of the Boston Republican 1848-1851; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1852 to the Thirty-third Congress; delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1853; unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor of Massachusetts in 1853; elected on January 31, 1855, to the United States Senate by a coalition of Free Soilers, Americans, Conscience Whigs and Democrats to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Edward Everett, and soon after aligned with new Republican party; reelected as a Republican in 1859, 1865, and 1871, and served from January 31, 1855, to March 3, 1873

He resigned to become Vice President; chairman, Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia (Thirty-seventh through Fortieth Congresses), Committee on Military Affairs (Forty-first and Forty-second Congresses); in 1861 he raised and commanded the Twenty-second Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry; elected Vice President of the United States on the Republican ticket with President Ulysses Grant and served from March 4, 1873, until his death in the Capitol Building, Washington, D.C., November 22, 1875; lay in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, November 25-26, 1875

interment in Old Dell Park Cemetery, Natick, Mass.

1740: Born- John Sullivan - Governor of New Hampshire from 1786 - 1788, General in the Revolutionary War

John Sullivan, (brother of James Sullivan and father of George Sullivan), a Delegate from New Hampshire; born in Somersworth, N.H., February 17, 1740; received a limited education; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Durham in 1760; Member of the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775; during the Revolution was appointed as a brigadier general; later promoted to major general, and from June 1775 until early in 1780; again a Member of the Continental Congress in 1780 and 1781; attorney general of New Hampshire 1782-1786; president of New Hampshire in 1786 and 1787; member of the state ratification convention in 1788; speaker of the state house of representatives; again chosen president of New Hampshire; appointed by President Washington judge of the United States District Court of New Hampshire in September 1789 and held that office until his death in Durham, N.H., January 23, 1795; interment in the Sullivan family cemetery.

1915 - Born : Thomas James McIntyre, Represented New Hampshire in the US Senate from 1962 - 1979;

Thomas McIntyre was born in Laconia, Belknap County, N.H., February 20, 1915; attended public and parochial schools of Laconia; graduated from Manlius Military School, Manlius, N.Y., in 1933, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1937, and Boston (Mass.) University Law School in 1940; admitted to practice law before the New Hampshire Supreme Court in 1940; served in the United States Army 1942-1946; discharged as a major; mayor of Laconia, N.H., 1949-1951; city solicitor in 1953; unsuccessful candidate for Eighty-fourth Congress in 1954

Elected in a special election on November 6, 1962, as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the unexpired term of Henry Styles Bridges ending January 3, 1967; reelected in 1966 for the full six-year term, and again in 1972 and served from November 7, 1962, until January 3, 1979; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1978; was a resident of Laconia, N.H., and Tequesta, Fla., until his death in Palm Beach, Fla., August 8, 1992; interment in St. Lambert Cemetery in Laconia.

Thomas J McIntyre NH State House Portrait

Thomas J McIntyre NH State House Portrait Plate

1803 - Born: William P Weeks in Greenland, New Hampshire on February 22, 1803.

William P. Weeks attended Gilmanton Academy and Dartmouth College (1826). He then studied Law with Hon. W.A. Hayes and C. N. Cogswell as South Berwick, Maine. He was admitted to the York County Maine bar in 1829, but moved to Canaan, New Hampshire in November 1829 and made his law career there.

Weeks was a lifelong Democrat. He served as Postmaster at Canaan for many years and served as State Representative (1839, 1840, 1852, 1854) and a State Senator (1848, 1849 - President of the Senate) In1854, the State Legislature, controlled by the Democrats, refused to take a firm stand on whether the institution of slavery should be banned from new American territories and states.

Weeks was deeply opposed to slavery, and he refused to run for another term in the NH House of Representatives. He retired from his law practice in 1861, At the outbreak of the Civil War and hanged himself from a beam in his barn on January 18, 1870.

William P Weeks NH State House Portrait Plate

1751 - Born: Henry Dearborn - Henry Dearborn was born in Hampton, New Hampshire, on February 23, 1751.

Henry studied medicine under Dr. Hall Jackson in Portsmouth and then married Mary Bartlett in 1771. Dearborn joined the military early in the Revolution and saw action at Bunker Hill. He served under Benedict Arnold in Quebec, was captured and then paroled in 1776. As a major, he fought at Ticonderoga and Freeman’s Farm with the 1st New Hampshire Regiment. He spent the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge, and later fought at Monmouth, against the Six Nations, and at Yorktown.

In the succeeding years, he returned to Maine, became a major general of militia there, was appointed U.S. marshal for the district of Maine, served in the U.S. House of Representatives, served as Secretary of War and helped plan the removal of the Indians to the west of the Mississippi River. From 27 January 1812 to 15 June 1815, Dearborn was the senior officer in the Army.

He fought unspectacularly against the British in the northeast theater in the War of 1812. He then went to command New York, and soon left active service. In later life, he was the ambassador to Portugal from 1822 to 1824. He died at Roxbury, Massachusetts, on 6 June 1829.

Henry Dearborn State House Portrait Plate

1889 - Born John Winant , the sixty-ninth and seventy-second governor of New Hampshire, was born in New York City on February 23, 1889.

John's education was attained at St. Paul’s School in Concord, and later he attended Princeton University. His teaching career was temporarily interrupted when he enlisted in the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. Winant first entered politics in 1916, serving as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he was reelected to in 1922. He also served as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1921 to 1922.

Winant next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1924. After losing his 1926 reelection bid, Winant was successful in both his 1930 and 1932 campaigns. During his tenure, the state banking commission was restructured; the state highway system was advanced; and an executive budget plan was initiated. Also, depression related relief measures were enacted; and Winant was the first governor to work together with the National Planning Board, as well as being the first to satisfy the Civilian Conservation Corps enrollment quota.

After leaving the governorship, Winant secured an appointment to serve as the assistant director of the International Labor Organization in Geneva, a post he held in 1935 and again from 1937 to 1940. He also headed the newly created Social Security Administration Board; was the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain from 1941 to 1946; and served as the U.S. representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 1946. During World War II, he served on the European Advisory Commission, as well as organizing the 1943 Moscow conference that resulted in the Teheran summit of Allied governments. After writing one volume of his memoirs, Governor John Winant committed suicide. He was buried at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire.

John C Winant NH State House Portrait Plate

1860 : Born Frank Rollins - the fifty-sixth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Concord, New Hampshire on February 24, 1860. His early education was attained in the Concord public schools, and later he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 1881. He studied law at Harvard, and was admitted to the bar in 1882.

Instead of practicing law, Rollins went to work in the family's banking firm. He eventually became the manager and vice-president of the Boston branch. Rollins also had a military career, starting in 1880 with service in the National Guard. He later served as an assistant adjutant general with the rank of lieutenant colonel, a post he held for five years. Rollins first entered politics in 1895, serving as a one-term member and president of the New Hampshire State Senate. He also was designated to give the New England delegation address to presidential nominee William McKinley.

In 1898, Rollins secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and then went on to win the popular vote in the general election. During his tenure, the "old home week" festival was initiated; and tourism incentives were promoted.

“I have a scheme,” said New Hampshire Governor Frank Rollins in 1899 at the Sons of New Hampshire dinner in Boston. “It is this,” he continued. “To have a week in summer set apart to be called Old Home Week and to make it an annual affair.” Two years prior, Rollins had begun thinking about the benefit of such celebrations when he mused, “I wish that in the ear of every son and daughter of New Hampshire, in the summer days might be heard whispered the persuasive words: Come back, come back.”

After leaving office, Rollins retired from political life. He stayed active, serving on several boards, as well as serving as trustee for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Governor Frank W. Rollins, who was the author of several books, passed away on October 27, 1915. He was buried in the Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord, New Hampshire.

Frank Rollins NH State House Portrait Plate

Frank Rollins Old Home Week Plate NH State House

James Sheppard was born on February 25th, 1817.
After his father’s death, he was raised by his guardians and family friends, the future President Franklin Pierce and Senator Atherton. At the young age of 14, he was appointed as midshipman in the US Navy, where he served on the frigate Columbia and the sloop John Adams. Five years later, he was sentto the US Naval Academy and the next year went to sea. By 1850 he was doing surveying in the Pacific, and resigned his commission to work in the gold fields in California, as did many people during the great
Gold Rush.

He rejoined the US Navy in 1854, where he was wounded in a duel. At the start of the Civil War, he was Lieutenant Commander, executive officer on Admiral Farragut’s flagship, the Hartford, where he was recognized for covering the sides of the ship with chains to protect it from cannon fire. In 1862 he commanded the Winona and then of the Kearsarge. This famous battle between the Kearsarge and the Alabama, in 1864 has gone down in Naval History, when the Alabama sank. James Sheppard Thornton received a Congressional vote of thanks and was given command of the Kearsarge. He was promoted to the rank of Captain at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in 1872. His last duty assignment was on the USS Monongahela, when he was injured aboard ship in the Pacific and sent home from South Africa. Upon arrival in the US, he died in 1875 in a hospital in Germantown PA, after which his body was returned to Merrimack, where he is buried today. He isfurther honored by having a torpedo boat, “The Thornton” named after him.

James Shepard Thornton was born in Merrimack, New Hampshire on 25 February 1826 and entered the Navy as a Midshipman in January 1841. Following duty in the frigate Columbia in the Home and Mediterranean Squadrons, he was assigned to the sloops of war John Adams and Falmouth, in which he served during the Mexican War. Beginning in late 1846 Thornton attended the U.S. Naval School at Annapolis, Maryland, and was promoted to the rank of Passed Midshipman in August 1847. He next served in the store ship Relief and in December 1848 was sent to Pacific coast for duty in the Coast Survey vessel Ewing. Thornton resigned from the service in May 1850, spent the next four years surveying gold fields in California and Utah, rejoined the Navy in February 1854 and again served in the Relief. Promoted to Acting Master in May 1855, he left the service later in that year but returned in January 1858 with the rank of Lieutenant and was once more assigned to the Relief.

When Lieutenant Thornton's tour on USS Relief ended in mid-1860 he served on the Receiving Ship at Boston until the beginning of the Civil War. From May to November 1861 he was an officer of the brig Bainbridge, operating on blockade duty in the Gulf of Mexico. Late in that year he became Executive Officer of the steam sloop Hartford, performing with distinction in her during the Mississippi River campaigns of 1862. Promoted to Lieutenant Commander in July, he commanded the gunboat Winona in the Gulf area during August and September 1862. In April 1863 he became Executive Officer of the steam sloop Kearsarge, cruising in European waters, and in her participated in the successful 19 June 1864 action against the Confederate cruiser Alabama. Thornton finished the Civil War as Commanding Officer of the gunboat Iosco, operating in the North Carolina Sounds.

From October 1865 Thornton had shore duty at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, and was promoted to the rank of Commander in mid-1866. He returned to USS Kearsarge as her Commanding Officer in July 1868, serving in her in the Pacific until November 1870, after which he was again assigned to the Portsmouth Navy Yard. In May 1872 Thornton achieved the rank of Captain and in August 1873 was ordered to command the steam sloop Monongahela on the South Atlantic Station. On 14 January 1875, Captain Thornton's spine was gravely injured when his ship made a sudden lurch, throwing him against cabin furniture. Left an invalid, he was ordered home in February and died of his injuries at Germantown, Pennsylvania, on 14 May 1875.

James S Thornton NH State House Portrait

James S Thornton NH State House Portrait Plate

1828: Born - Person C Cheney, the forty-fourth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Holderness, (Ashland today) New Hampshire on February 25, 1828.

His education was attained in academies at Parsonfield, Maine and at Hanover and Peterborough, New Hampshire. Cheney went into the family business, and eventually took over the duties of the paper-manufacturing factory. He also served during the Civil War, as a first lieutenant and later became the regimental quartermaster of the 13th Regiment of the New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry. Cheney first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1853 to 1855. He also served as the state railroad commissioner from 1864 to 1867; and was the mayor of Manchester from 1871 to 1873.

Cheney next secured the 1875 Republican gubernatorial nomination, and after a close popular election, the legislation named Cheney the official governor. He was reelected to a second term in 1876. During his tenure, patronage jobs and judicial appointments were reinstated to the Republican party; state government was restructured; and reform measures were initiated to stabilize the state’s declining economy.

After leaving the governorship, Cheney secured an appointment to the U.S. Senate, a position he held from 1886 to 1887. He also served as a delegate to the 1888 Republican National Convention, as well as serving as a member of the 1900 Republican National Committee. From 1892 to 1893 he served as the envoy extraordinary to Switzerland. Governor Person C. Cheney passed away on June 19, 1901, and was buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Person C Cheeney NH State House Portrait

Person C Cheeney NH State House Portrait Plate

Born: Benjamin F. Prescott, the forty-fifth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Epping, New Hampshire on February 26, 1833.

His education was attained at Pembroke Academy, at Phillips Exeter Academy, and at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1856. After studying law, Prescott established a legal practice, however, after a few years, he switched careers. He became the editor of the Independent Democrat, a political paper that opposed slavery and endorsed the politics of Abraham Lincoln. Prescott first entered politics in 1859, serving as secretary of the Republican State Committee, a position he held fifteen years. He also served as secretary for the New Hampshire College of Electors; was the New England special agent for the U.S. Treasury Department from 1865 to 1869; and served as the New Hampshire secretary of state from 1872 to 1873 and 1875 to 1876.

Prescott next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in the 1877. He was reelected to a second term in 1878. During his tenure, eleven new amendments to the state constitution were sanctioned; a new state prison was established; and a portrait collection of the state's most prominent citizens was initiated for display in the state house, as well as at the state historical society.

After leaving the governorship, Prescott served as a delegate to the 1880 Republican National Convention. He also chaired the state delegation that nominated James A. Garfield for president; and was a member of the state board of railroad commissioners from 1887 to 1893. Governor Benjamin F. Prescott, who authored two historical volumes, passed away in Epping on February 21, 1895.

Benjamin Prescott NH State House Portrait Plate

1852 - Born : John Mc Lane, the fifty-ninth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Lenoxtown, Scotland on February 27, 1852.

When he was just a baby, his family moved to the United States, settling in Milford, New Hampshire. McLane's education was limited and attained in the public schools. After learning the cabinet making business, he opened his own successful furniture manufacturing business. He also became involved in the banking and insurance industries. McLane first entered politics as a one-term member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he won election to in 1855. He also chaired the insurance committee in 1887; was a member and president of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1891 to 1892 and 1893 to 1894; and was a delegate to the 1900 Republican National Convention.

McLane next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1904. During his tenure, the state's road system was advanced; and the Russo-Japanese Peace Conference was held in Portsmouth. After leaving the governorship, McLane retired from politics. He returned to his various business interests, as well as becoming involved in civic affairs. Governor John McLane passed away on April 13, 1911, and was buried in the Milford Cemetery in Milford, New Hampshire

Matthew Thornton was born in Lisburn, County Antrim, Ireland on March 3, 1714 of Scotch-Irish parents, James Thornton, and Elizabeth Jenkins. When he was three years old, his family emigrated to America, settling first in what would become the state of Maine.

In 1722, Indians attacked the Maine settlement in the vicinity of Brunswick (or possibly Wiscasset) where they lived. James Thornton, his wife Elizabeth, and their 8-year-old son Matthew, escaped from their burning home by canoe, paddled out to Casco Bay, and proceeded from there to the Scotch-Irish town of Worcester, Massachusetts. There Thornton grew up receiving a classical education at Worcester Academy.

Young Thornton pursued medical studies in Leicester, Massachusetts under the direction of Doctor Grout, a relative. In 1740, at the age of 26, he began what became a thriving medical practice in the Scotch-Irish town of Londonderry, New Hampshire. He soon became distinguished, both as a physician and a surgeon.

In 1745, at the age of 31, Dr. Thornton served as a surgeon in the New Hampshire militia during King George’s War (1745-48). He accompanied Sir William Pepperell in the British expedition that captured Louisburg, the French fortress in Nova Scotia.

Dr. Thornton was elected a delegate for Londonderry to the colonial assembly in 1758, and began to figure prominently in colonial affairs.

Derry, NH (Preserved)

He married Hannah Jack in 1760, and they had five children. Hannah’s parents were Andrew Jack and Mary Morrison, both of Scotch-Irish descent. Hannah Jack was born in 1742 and died on December 5, 1786.

In 1765, Thornton was prominent in the agitation against the Stamp Act in New Hampshire, but later held a commission as Colonel of militia under Royal Governor Wentworth.

In 1775, Dr. Thornton denounced the “unconstitutional and tyrannical Acts of the British Parliament”, and was elected President of the New Hampshire Provincial Congress when Royal Governor Wentworth fled from the Colony and boarded a British warship in Portsmouth. Thornton was also appointed Chairman of the provincial committee of safety in charge of raising troops and arms.

Upon taking office, Thornton issued a statement to the citizens of New Hampshire, and this is part of what he said: “Friends and brethren, you must all be sensible that the affairs of America have, at length, come to a very affecting and alarming crisis. The horrors and distresses of a civil war, which, till of late, we only had in contemplation, we now find ourselves obliged to realize. Painful beyond expression, have been those scenes of blood and devastation which the barbarous cruelty of British troops has placed before our eyes. Duty to God, to ourselves, to posterity, ends forced by the cries of slaughtered innocents, have urged us to take up arms in our own defense….we seriously and earnestly recommend the practice of that pure and undefiled religion, which embalmed the memory of our pious ancestors, as that alone upon which we can build a solid hope and confidence in the Divine protection and favour, without whose blessing all the measures of safety we have, or can propose, will end in our shame and disappointment.”

Dr. Thornton was President of the five-man committee that drafted the first state constitution, and it was adopted on January 5, 1776, the first of the thirteen states to establish a constitution. Thornton was then elected to the new state legislature and elected Speaker of that assembly.

In September 1776, Dr. Thornton, at the age of 62, was chosen a delegate to the Continental Congress, and took his seat on the 4th of November 1776. Although Thornton was not present during the debates on independence or when 50 of the delegates signed the Declaration on August 2, he became one of six signers who did so in the following months. All six of these signers fully supported the sentiments in the document, and were permitted to affix their signatures to the engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Despite having no legal education, Thornton served as chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas, the superior court of New Hampshire, from 1776 until 1782. After serving in the Continental Congress for only a little over a year, he left Congress and resumed his duties as associate justice of the Superior Court. In his seventies he served in the New Hampshire State senate from 1784 until 1786.

In 1780, he purchased a farm on the banks of the Merrimac River, near Exeter, where he devoted himself to the business of agriculture. He spent his last years farming and operating a ferry—Lutwyche’s (later Thornton’s) Ferry—across the Merrimac River. The house and ferry he purchased had been confiscated from a prominent Tory—Edward Gladstone Lutwyche.

Although often exposed to the whooping cough, Thornton did not catch the disease until he passed his eightieth year, and he survived the attack. He continued to write essays and letters to newspapers on various topics well into his eighties, including an unpublished work on the metaphysical origins of sin.

Dr. Thornton exceeded six feet in height; his complexion was dark and his eyes black and piercing. At the age of 61, he was described as tall, clear-eyed, handsome, and charming.

He was described as a man of strong powers of mind, and on most subjects to which he directed his attention, was able to elicit light and information. In private life, he was peculiarly instructive and agreeable. The young were delighted with his hilarity and humor. His memory was well stored with entertaining and instructive anecdotes, which he was able to apply upon any incident or subject of conversation. He often illustrated his sentiments by fable. He delighted to amuse a circle of an evening by some fictitious narrative, in which he greatly excelled. At such times, placing his elbows upon his knees, and supporting his head with his hands, he would rivet the attention of his auditors, and astonish them by his powers of invention. In satire he was scarcely equaled. And although he sometimes employed his power immoderately, he was universally beloved, and occupied a large share of the confidence of his neighbors.

Thornton died while visiting his daughter in Newburyport, Massachusetts on the 24th of June, 1803, at the age of 89. His original gravestone was inscribed, “An Honest Man.” On May 22, 1892, New Hampshire dedicated a monument honoring Thornton’s memory located at the entrance to the Thornton Ferry Cemetery in Merrimack, New Hampshire, where he is buried.

Rev. Dr. Burnap spoke these words at his funeral: “He was venerable for his age, and skilled in his profession, and for the several very important and honorable offices he had sustained; noted for the knowledge he had acquired, and his quick penetration into matters of abstruse speculation; exemplary for his regard for the public institutions of religion, and for his consistency in attending the public worship, where he trod the courts of the house of God, with steps tottering with age and infirmity. Such is a brief outline of one who was honored in his day and generation; whose virtues were a model for imitation, and while memory does her office, will be had in grateful recollection.”

The Matthew Thornton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a bronze marker at his grave, which reads, “Revolutionary Soldier, Matthew Thornton, 1775-1782”.

In the village of Thornton’s Ferry, Merrimack, New Hampshire, in the northbound lane of Route 3, there is this highway marker: “One of three New Hampshire men to sign the Declaration of Independence, Matthew Thornton, physician, soldier, patriot, agitated against the Stamp Act of 1765, presided over the Provincial Congress in 1775, served in the State Senate and as an associate justice of the Superior Court. The nearby monument honors his memory. He is buried in the adjacent cemetery. His homestead stands directly across the highway.” The signer’s house and Matthew Thornton Cemetery were listed on the National Register in 1978.

Thornton’s previous residence was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

Thornton’s previous residence, on 2 Thornton Street, in Derry, New Hampshire was listed on the National Register and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

The town of Thornton, New Hampshire was named in his honor, and there is a Matthew Thornton High School in Londonderry, New Hampshire.

In Washington, D.C., near the Washington Monument, is a memorial park and lagoon celebrating the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the 56 granite blocks there is inscribed with the name of Matthew Thornton.

Matthew Thornton NH State House Portrait

1787: Born - Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn, (son of Henry Dearborn), a Representative from Massachusetts; born in Exeter, N.H., March 3, 1783

He attended the common schools and Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., for two years; was graduated from the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va., in 1803; studied law; was admitted to the bar and practiced in Salem, Mass., and Portland, Mass. (now Maine); collector of customs in Boston 1812-1829; served as brigadier general commanding the Volunteers in the defenses of Boston Harbor in the War of 1812; member of the State constitutional convention in 1820; member of the State house of representatives in 1829; served in the State senate in 1830; elected as an Anti-Jacksonian to the Twenty-second Congress (March 4, 1831-March 3, 1833)

Hewas an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1832 to the Twenty-third Congress; served as adjutant general of Massachusetts 1834-1843; mayor of Roxbury 1847-1851; president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society; author of many books; died in Portland, Maine, on July 29, 1851; interment in Forest Hills Cemetery, Roxbury, Mass.

1850: Born - Warren Upham in Amherst New Hampshire - Geologist and Writer.

Engaged for 20 years in geological surveys of New Hampshire. Warren Upham was born on a New Hampshire farm in 1850, educated at Dartmouth, and worked as a geologist in New Hampshire before moving to Minnesota at the age of 29 to study the state’s resources and geology. Because a primary task of Upham’s work was to map the shorelines of Lake Agassiz, he soon concluded that in order to achieve a comprehensive picture, he would need to bring North Dakota and Manitoba into the study as well.

It took Upham seven years and 11,000 miles of travel by wagon, horse and foot to collect information. The results were made available in a large volume describing topography, geologic formations, drift deposits, reaches of the lake at its various stages, beaches as they formed and changed, even current wells and agricultural and material resources. As if one large project were not enough, Upham went on to produce a 735-page compendium of Minnesota place names, ranging from rivers and lakes to counties, towns, city streets and parks, among others.

In seeking support for the work from the Minnesota Historical Society, he argued that “the value and utility” of such research for Minnesota history “can hardly be overestimated.” This “careful student” of the Red River basin’s geology and history was given little recognition.

Upham’s documents, however, stand on their own even today for their accuracy and detail. And Upham’s willingness to take on big tasks, his perseverance, and his ability to overcome impediments remain important personal models for the many who continue to study and manage the waters and land in the Red River basin.

1837: Born - Louis Bell in Chester, New Hampshire on March 8, 1837

The son of Governor Samuel Bell and his second wife, Lucy. His siblings included Dr. Luther V. Bell, New Hampshire Senator James Bell, and New Hampshire Chief Justice Samuel D. Bell. Louis Bell attended school at the Derry and Gilford Academies and graduated from Brown University at the age of eighteen. In 1857, after being admitted to the New Hampshire bar, Bell opened his own law practice in Farmington, New Hampshire. On June 8, 1859, Bell married his childhood friend Mary Anne (Mollie) Persis Bouton, third daughter of Rev. Dr. Bouton of Concord. Together, the couple had two children: a daughter, Marian, born September 5, 1860 and a son, Louis, born December 5, 1864.

A third child, born in the spring of 1862, lived for just three weeks. In 1861, after the Civil War broke out, Louis Bell enlisted in the First N.H. Volunteer Regiment. He initially served as Captain of Company A. When the First, a 90-day regiment disbanded, Bell joined the newly-formed Fourth N.H Volunteer Regiment. On August 5, 1861 he was appointed its lieutenant colonel. After a brief After a brief assignment with the Army of the Potomac, the new regiment was sent to occupy the South Carolina lowlands south of Charleston. Bell received the recognition of Brigadier General Thomas W. Sherman, who appointed Bell as his Inspector General and Chief of his Staff. In January 1862, a force led by Bell undertook a Florida campaign during which it captured Fernandina, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine.

On March 18, 1862, Bell was promoted to full colonel and became commander of the regiment. While commanding the regiment’s occupation of St. Augustine, General David Hunter had Bell arrested and relieved of his command for allegedly returning a fugitive slave to her owners. Following a half-hearted investigation, Bell was reinstated to his command in September 1862 without trial. The regiment returned to South Carolina in late 1862 and by the following spring, Bell commanded a brigade which included the Third and Fourth New Hampshire Regiments and the Ninth and Eleventh Maine Regiments. The brigade took part in several siege operations against works outside of Charleston. These included the capture of both Fort Wagner and Fort Gregg, located on Morris Island, and the shelling of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.

Following a brief furlough, Bell’s brigade was reassigned to Virginia where it took part in the battle of Drewry’s Bluff (May 15, 1864) before settling into the siege lines surrounding Petersburg, Virginia. Bell’s forces also took part in the Battle of the Crater (July 30, 1864), a bloody affair which did little to move the siege lines. In December 1864, Bell and his command were part of a failed expedition against Fort Fisher, located at the mouth of the Cape Fear Rivers outside of Wilmington, North Carolina. A second expedition attacked Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865. Though successful, Colonel Bell was mortally wounded, dying a few hours later. He was buried in Chester, New Hampshire. Mollie Bell, wracked with grief, survived her husband by only four months.

1893 - Born : Charles M Dale -

the seventy-sixth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Browns Valley, Minnesota on March 8, 1893.

His education was attained at the University of Minnesota, where he earned a bachelor degree in 1915, and a law degree in 1917. During World War I, he served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army's Artillery Coast Corps. After establishing his legal career in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Dale entered into politics. He won election in 1921, serving as the city solicitor for Portsmouth, a position he held two years. He served as mayor of Portsmouth from 1926 to 1928 and 1943 to 1944; and was a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1933 to 1937 and 1938 to 1939.

He also served as senate president from 1935 to 1937; and was a member of the Governor's Council from 1937 to 1938. Dale next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1944. He won reelection to a second term in 1946. During his tenure, a state employees' retirement plan was created; tourism and the state's industry were both promoted; and the deficit was reduced. After completing his term, Dale retired from political life. He stayed active, working in the banking industry, as well as owning and operating the WHEB radio station. Governor Charles M. Dale passed away on September 28, 1978, and was buried in the Valley View Cemetery in Browns Valley, New Hampshire.

Charles M Dale NH State House Portrait Plate

1912 - Born: Meldrim Thomson

Meldrim Thomson Jr. was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 8, 1912.

He attended the University of Miami, Washington and Jefferson College, Mercer University and the University of Georgia, receiving a LL.B. from the latter. Thomson started a legal textbook publishing firm on Long Island, New York. In search of quiet, he moved his family of six children to Orford, where he founded Equity Publishing Corp. As governor from 1973-1979, serving three two-year terms, he drew devoted support from ultraconservatives with positions that included suggesting nuclear weapons for the state National Guard. He once called Martin Luther King "a man of immoral character whose frequent association with leading agents of communism is well-established." But he also drew votes for his strong antitax stance -- to this day, the state has neither an income tax nor a sales tax -- and for his philosophy of independence from federal influence.

Thomson is a former member and chairman of both the Stony Brook, Long Island; and Orford, New Hampshire, school boards. He was a member of the New Hampshire constitutional convention in 1964. Thomson also co-founded Taxfighters, Incorporated, and the Public School Association. Thomson has taught political science at the University of Georgia. Governor Thomson passed away from Parkinson's disease and heart problems on April 19, 2001.

1819 - Born: Governor Frederick Smyth.

Fredrick Smyth , the thirty-eighth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Candia, New Hampshire on March 9, 1819.

His early education was attained in the common schools, and later for one term attended the Phillips Academy in Massachusetts. Smyth established a successful career as a businessman, serving as president and treasurer of several banks, as well as becoming involved in the agricultural and railroad industries. Smyth first entered politics as Manchester city clerk, a position he won election to in 1849.

He also served as mayor of Manchester from 1852 to 1854 and 1864; was a New Hampshire state legislator from 1857 to 1858; and served as president of the 1860 State Republican Convention. Smyth next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1865. He was reelected to a second term in 1866. During his tenure, the state’s war deficit was reduced; state statutes were amended; soldiers were mustered out of active military service; the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the federal constitution was endorsed; and the state militia was restructured.

After completing his term, Smyth served as a trustee to the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, a post he held until 1878. He also served as an honorary commissioner to the International Expo in Paris. Governor Frederick Smyth passed away on April 22, 1899, and was buried in the Valley Cemetery in Manchester, New Hampshire.

FREDERICK SMYTH, the thirty-eighth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Candia, New Hampshire on March 9, 1819. His early education was attained in the common schools, and later for one term attended the Phillips Academy in Massachusetts. Smyth established a successful career as a businessman, serving as president and treasurer of several banks, as well as becoming involved in the agricultural and railroad industries. Smyth first entered politics as Manchester city clerk, a position he won election to in 1849. He also served as mayor of Manchester from 1852 to 1854 and 1864; was a New Hampshire state legislator from 1857 to 1858; and served as president of the 1860 State Republican Convention. Smyth next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1865. He was reelected to a second term in 1866. During his tenure, the state’s war deficit was reduced; state statutes were amended; soldiers were mustered out of active military service; the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the federal constitution was endorsed; and the state militia was restructured. After completing his term, Smyth served as a trustee to the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, a post he held until 1878. He also served as an honorary commissioner to the International Expo in Paris. Governor Frederick Smyth passed away on April 22, 1899, and was buried in the Valley Cemetery in Manchester, New Hampshire.

1834 : Born - George A. Ramsdell, the fifty-fifth governor of New Hampshire (1897 - 1899)

George was born in Milford, New Hampshire on March 11, 1834.

His education was attained at McCollom Institute and at Amherst College in Massachusetts. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1857, and then established his legal career in Peterborough. Ramsdell first entered politics as treasurer of Hillsborough County, a position he held from 1861 to 1862. He also was clerk of Hillsborough County from 1864 to 1887; and was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1869 to 1872.

He served as a member of the 1876 State Constitutional Convention; and was a member of the Executive Council from 1891 to 1892. Ramsdell next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1896. During his tenure, the creation of a medical and surgical licensing board was promoted; troops were organized for the Spanish-American War; and state expenditures were controlled.

After completing his term, Ramsdell retired from political life. Governor George A. Ramsdell passed away on November 16, 1900, and was buried in the Edgewood Cemetery in Nashua, New Hampshire.

George A Ramsdell NH State House Portrait

George A Ramsdell NH State House Portrait Plate

1753 - Born : David Hough, a Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1803 - 1806

David Hough was born in Norwich, Conn., March 13, 1753; attended the common schools; ship carpenter; moved to Lebanon, N.H., in 1778; member of the State house of representatives in 1788, 1789, and 1794

Justice of the peace; colonel of militia; delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1783; commissioner of valuation in 1798; elected as a Federalist to the Eighth and Ninth Congresses (March 4, 1803-March 3, 1807); engaged in agricultural pursuits; died in Lebanon, N.H., April 18, 1831; interment in the cemetery in the southern vicinity of Lebanon.

1872 - Born: Walter Scott West : March 13, 1872 at Bradford, NH Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient

He Earned The Medal of Honor During the Spanish-American War For heroism May 11, 1898 at Cienfuegos, Cuba Died: September 14, 1943 at the age of 71 Walter West was one of 52 sailors and Marines cited for bravery and coolness in the face of enemy fire during the cutting of cables at Cienfuegos, Cuba on 11 May 1898. The mission was a daring operation to cut undersea cables linking the Spanish fortifications at Cienfuegos with the rest of the world. Destruction of the cables was ordered to disrupt communications. In two boats, sailors from the USS Nashville and the USS Marblehead were joined by a Marine guard as they moved within 15 feet of the enemy shore, under fire from the hidden enemy, to dredge up and cut two such cables. During the 80 minute operation, the cable cutting party was under constant enemy fire from a short range, while they coolly dredged the cables across the bow of their boats, then cut through them with hacksaws.

When a cable was severed, the seaward end was transported back to the USS Marblehead, which then moved further from shore to drop the ends in deeper water and make repair impossible. So intense was the enemy presence, and so daring the American support, Captain Maynard of the Nashville was wounded in the action.

With great courage, the mission was accomplished The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private Walter Scott West, United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism in action on board the U.S.S. Marblehead during the operation of cutting the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, 11 May 1898. Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Private West displayed extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this action.

General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 521 (July 7, 1899) Action Date: May 11, 1898

Service: Marine Corp Rank: Private Division: U.S.S. Marblehead

1766 - Born: Thomas Weston Thompson, a Representative and a Senator from New Hampshire

Born in Boston, Mass., March 15, 1766; attended Dummer Academy, Byfield, Mass.; graduated from Harvard University in 1786; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1791 and practiced in Salisbury, N.H., 1791-1810; postmaster of Salisbury, N.H., 1798-1803; trustee of Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H

1801-1821; moved to Concord, N.H., in 1810 and continued the practice of law; member, State house of representatives 1807-1808, 1813-1814, and served as speaker 1813-1814; elected as a Federalist to the Ninth Congress (March 4, 1805-March 3, 1807); State treasurer of New Hampshire 1809-1811;

Elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Nicholas Gilman and served from June 24, 1814, to March 3, 1817; died in Concord, N.H., on October 1, 1821; interment in the Old North Cemetery.

1869 - Born: John H. Bartlett, the sixty-sixth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Sunapee, New Hampshire on March 15, 1869.

His education was attained at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1894. While studying law in Portsmouth, Bartlett taught school, as well as serving as a high school principal. In 1894 he was admitted to the bar, and then went on to establish a successful legal practice in Portsmouth. Bartlett also had a career as a public servant. He was the postmaster of Portsmouth from 1899 to 1907; served on Governor McLane's staff from 1905 to 1906; and was instrumental in making the preparations for the Russo-Japanese Peace Conference in Portsmouth.

He also presided over the 1916 Republican State Convention; and served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1917 to 1918. Bartlett next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1918. During his tenure, the state employee liability law was improved; an executive budget plan was initiated; and legislation was enacted that granted cities the power to own and operate street railways. After declining to run for a second term, Bartlett secured an appointment to serve as president of the U.S. Civil Service Commission.

He also served as first assistant U.S. postmaster-general in 1922; and was chairman of the U.S. section of the Joint International Commission for the U.S. and Canada, a post he held from 1929 to 1939. Governor John H. Bartlett, who was the author of several books, passed away on March 19, 1952. He was buried in the Harmony Grove Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

John H Bartlett NH State House Portrait Plate

1873 - Born: Rolland H. Spaulding, the sixty-fourth governor of New Hampshire, and brother of New Hampshire Governor Huntley Spaulding, was born in Townsend Harbor, Massachusetts on March 15, 1873.

His education was attained at Phillips Academy, where he graduated in 1893. After working in the family's fiberboard business, Spaulding became interested in state politics, particularly with the state's progressive movement in 1905. He also served as a delegate to the 1912 Republican National Convention. Spaulding next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in the 1914 general election. During his tenure, municipal finances were improved; the state highway department was restructured; state agencies were run more efficiently; and reduction of the state tax was lobbied for. After declining to run for reelection, Spaulding retired from political life.

He returned to his various business interests, as well as serving as president of the New Hampshire Defense League. Governor Rolland H. Spaulding passed away on March 14, 1942 in Rochester, New Hampshire.

Rolland H Spaulding NH State House Portrait

Rolland H Spaulding NH State House Portrait Plate

1876 - Born on March 15th, 1876, Senate President Arthur P. Morrill in Concord New Hampshire.

Educated at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Yale University (1896) and Harvard University Law School (1899). He was admitted to the New Hampshire bar in 1900. Morrill was a member of the Concord Law Firm, Sargent, Niles & Morrill for four years (1900 - 1904).

He then changed careers and joined the Insurance Firm of Morrill & Danforth. He was a delegate to the 1912 New Hampshire Constitutional Convention from Ward Five in Concord, and served two terms as a State Representative (1917 - 1918) and Speaker of the House (1917 - 1918).

During World War I, Morrill was active in the New Hampshire Red Cross and in the Concord Committee of Public Safety. He served as President of the State Senate from 1919 - 1921.

Arthur Putnam Morrill NH State House Portrait

Arthur Putnam Morrill Nh State House Portrait Plate

1917 - Born: Louis Crosby Wyman, a Representative and a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Manchester, Hillsborough County, N.H., March 16, 1917

Graduated from the University of New Hampshire at Durham in 1938 and from the Harvard University Law School in 1941; admitted to the bar of Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1941, and of Florida in 1957, and commenced the practice of law in Boston, Mass.; during the Second World War served in the Alaskan Theater as lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve 1942-1946; general counsel to a United States Senate committee in 1946; secretary to Senator Styles Bridges in 1947; counsel, Joint Congressional Committee on Foreign Economic Cooperation 1948-1949; attorney general of New Hampshire 1953-1961; president, National Association of Attorneys General 1957; legislative counsel to Governor of New Hampshire 1961; member and chairman of several State legal and judicial commissions

Elected as a Republican to the Eighty-eighth Congress (January 3, 1963-January 3, 1965); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1964 to the Eighty-ninth Congress; elected to the Ninetieth Congress; reelected to the three succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1967, until his resignation December 31, 1974; was not a candidate for reelection, but was a candidate in 1974 to the United States Senate for the six-year term commencing January 3, 1975

Certified elected by the State of New Hampshire by a two vote margin; subsequently appointed December 31, 1974, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Norris Cotton, for the term ending January 3, 1975, and served from December 31, 1974, to January 3, 1975; due to the contested election of November 5, 1974, the United States Senate declared the seat, for the six-year term commencing January 3, 1975, vacant as of August 8, 1975;

Unsuccessful in a special September election to fill the vacancy; associate justice, New Hampshire Superior Court 1978-1987; was a resident of Manchester, N.H. and West Palm Beach, Florida, until his death due to cancer on May 5, 2002; remains were cremated and ashes scattered at sea.

NH 17th Regiment Celebrates St Patrick's Day

1603: Born - Simon Bradstreet, colonial governor, born in Horbling, Lincolnshire, England on March 18th, 1603; died in Salem, Massachusetts, 27 March, 1697.

He was educated at Emanuel College, Cambridge, and became steward of the countess of Warwick. Haying been persuaded to join the colony of Massachusetts, he was chosen assistant judge of the court to be established there, and arrived in Salem during 1630. He was associated in the proceedings of the first court held in Charlestown on 23 August, 1630, and later became agent and secretary of Massachusetts and commissioner of the united colonies. He was one of the founders of Cambridge in 1631, and also connected with the settling of Andover. He resided at Ipswich, Salem, and Boston.

In 1653 he was among those who vigorously and successfully opposed making war on the Dutch in New York, and on the Indians, although that course was strongly urged by the commissioners of the other colonies. He was sent to England in 1660 to congratulate Charles II on his restoration, and to act as agent for the colony. From 1630 till 1679 he was assistant, and then until 1686 (when the charter was annulled) governor of the colony. He was opposed to the arbitrary measures of Andros, subsequent to whose imprisonment he again became governor, and continued as such until 1692, when Sir William Phipps arrived with a new charter, after which he was first councilor. For sixty-two years he was in the service of the government, and was not only a popular magistrate, but also a man of great integrity, piety, and prudence.

He opposed the witchcraft delusion of 1692, and advised the surrender of the charter of Massachusetts to Charles II, distrusting the ability of the colonists to resist.

His wife, Anne, poet, born in Northampton, England, about 1612; died 16 September, 1672, was a daughter of Governor Thomas Dudley, married Governor Bradstreet in 1628, and went to New England with him in 1630. Mrs. Bradstreet was the mother of eight children. In the intervals of household duties she wrote poems.

Their grandson, Simon, clergyman, born in New London, Connecticut, 7 March, 1671; died in Charlestown, Massachusetts, 31 December, 1741. His father, the Rev. Simon Bradstreet (1640-'83), was a son of Governor Simon Bradstreet. He was graduated at Harvard in 1693. On 26 October, 1698, he was ordained, and succeeded the Rev. Charles Norton as minister of Charlestown. He was very learned, with a tenacious memory and lively imagination, but of melancholy disposition. He was considered one of the first literary characters and best preachers in America.

For some years prior to his death he was afraid to preach from his pulpit, and delivered his sermons from the deacon's seat, using no notes. --His son, Simon, clergyman (1709-'71), was graduated at Harvard in 1728 and ordained, 4 January, 1738, as minister of the second Congregational church of Marblehead, where he remained until his death.

Simon Bradstreet NH State House Portrait

1797 - Born: James Wilson II, (son of James Wilson [1766-1839]) in Peterborough NH.

Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1809 - 1810 and 1847 - 1850 James attended the academies at New Ipswich, Atkinson, and Exeter; moved with his parents to Keene, N.H., in 1815; was graduated from Middlebury College in 1820; member of the State militia 1820-1840 and successively promoted from captain to major general; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1823 and commenced practice in Keene, Cheshire County, N.H.; member of the State house of representatives 1825-1837, 1840, and 1846, and served as speaker in 1828

Unsuccessful candidate for Governor in 1835 and 1838; delegate to the Whig National Convention in 1840; surveyor general of public lands in the Territories of Wisconsin and Iowa 1841-1845; elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth and Thirty-first Congresses and served from March 4, 1847, to September 9, 1850, when he resigned; chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Thirtieth Congress); appointed one of the commissioners to settle private land claims in California in 1851 and served in this capacity until 1853.

Settled in San Francisco and remained there until 1867, when he returned to Keene, N.H.; again a member of the State house of representatives in 1871 and 1872; died in Keene, N.H., May 29, 1881; interment in Woodland Cemetery

1951 - Born: Paul Hodes, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in New York City, New York County, N.Y., on March 21, 1951;

A.B., Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 1972; J.D., Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass., 1978; assistant attorney general of New Hampshire, 1979-1982; special prosecutor for the state of New Hampshire, 1992; lawyer, private practice; professional entertainer; unsuccessful candidate for election to One Hundred and Ninth Congress in 2004

Elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Tenth Congress and to the succeeding Congress (January 3, 2007-January 3, 2011); not a candidate for reelection, but was an unsuccessful candidate to the United States Senate in 2010.

1747: Born - Alexander Scammell: Son of a prominent doctor, grew up in Mendon, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard in 1769.

Alecander studied law in the office of John Sullivan in Durham, New Hampshire, and as the Revolutionary War began he became a major in Sullivan's Brigade of the New Hampshire Militia. In October 1776, Scammell became Brigadier Major in Charles Lee's Division, and in November of that year he was promoted to Colonel of the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment. He was present at the evacuation of Ticonderoga, and led his regiment in the two battles of Saratoga.

He became Washington's Aide de Camp and served as adjutant general from January 5, 1778, to January 1, 1781, and then resigned that post to take command of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment. In the Yorktown Campaign, he led 400 light infantry but was badly wounded, possibly after having been taken prisoner, and he died from his injuries in October 1781 after being released and brought behind the American lines.

Alexander Scammel NH State House Portrait

Alexander Scammel NH State House Portrait Plate

1784 Born : John McNeil Jr in Hillsborough, New Hampshire - was an officer in the United States Army He distinguished himself in leading the bayonet charge which secured victory in the Battle of Chippewa.

For his conduct in this battle, and in that of the Battle of Bridgewater, where he was severely wounded, he was successively brevetted as lieutenant colonel and colonel. In 1824 he received the brevet rank of Brigadier General in recognition of his superior service as a brevet colonel for 10 years.

He later received appointment as Surveyor of the Port of Boston, a post he held from 1830 to 1841. The husband of Elizabeth Andrews Pierce, son-in-law of Governor Benjamin Pierce, and brother-in-law of President Franklin Pierce, after retiring McNeil lived at the Pierce Family home in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. He died in Washington, D.C. on February 23, 1850 and was buried at Congressional Cemetery in Washington.

General John McNeil NH State House Portrait

1874: Born - Robert Frost (Poet) Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco, where his father, William Prescott Frost Jr., and his mother, Isabelle Moodie, had moved from Pennsylvania shortly after marrying.

After the death of his father from tuberculosis when Frost was eleven years old, he moved with his mother and sister, Jeanie, who was two years younger, to Lawrence, Massachusetts. He became interested in reading and writing poetry during his high school years in Lawrence, enrolled at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1892, and later at Harvard University in Boston, though he never earned a formal college degree. Frost drifted through a string of occupations after leaving school, working as a teacher, cobbler, and editor of the Lawrence Sentinel. His first published poem, “My Butterfly," appeared on November 8, 1894, in the New York newspaper The Independent.

In 1895, Frost married Elinor Miriam White, whom he’d shared valedictorian honors with in high school and who was a major inspiration for his poetry until her death in 1938. The couple moved to England in 1912, after they tried and failed at farming in New Hampshire. It was abroad that Frost met and was influenced by such contemporary British poets as Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke, and Robert Graves. While in England, Frost also established a friendship with the poet Ezra Pound, who helped to promote and publish his work. By the time Frost returned to the United States in 1915, he had published two full-length collections, A Boy’s Will (Henry Holt and Company, 1913) and North of Boston (Henry Holt and Company, 1914), and his reputation was established.

By the 1920s, he was the most celebrated poet in America, and with each new book—including New Hampshire (Henry Holt and Company, 1923), A Further Range (Henry Holt and Company, 1936), Steeple Bush (Henry Holt and Company, 1947), and In the Clearing (Holt Rinehart & Winston, 1962)—his fame and honors (including four Pulitzer Prizes) increased. Though his work is principally associated with the life and landscape of New England—and though he was a poet of traditional verse forms and metrics who remained steadfastly aloof from the poetic movements and fashions of his time—Frost is anything but merely a regional poet. The author of searching and often dark meditations on universal themes, he is a quintessentially modern poet in his adherence to language as it is actually spoken, in the psychological complexity of his portraits, and in the degree to which his work is infused with layers of ambiguity and irony.

In a 1970 review of The Poetry of Robert Frost, the poet Daniel Hoffman describes Frost’s early work as “the Puritan ethic turned astonishingly lyrical and enabled to say out loud the sources of its own delight in the world," and comments on Frost’s career as the “American Bard”: “He became a national celebrity, our nearly official poet laureate, and a great performer in the tradition of that earlier master of the literary vernacular, Mark Twain.”

About Frost, President John F. Kennedy, at whose inauguration the poet delivered a poem, said, “He has bequeathed his nation a body of imperishable verse from which Americans will forever gain joy and understanding.” Robert Frost lived and taught for many years in Massachusetts and Vermont, and died in Boston on January 29, 1963.

1925: Vesta M. Roy - born in Detroit, Michigan. She served as a Rockingham, County, New Hampshire Commissioner, and as a member of both the New Hampshire House of Representatives (1973-75) and Senate (1978-86).

As President of the Senate, she assumed the office of governor briefly in an acting capacity upon the death of then-Governor Hugh Gallen shortly before the inauguration of Governor-elect John H. Sununu. Although she was governor for only one week, she holds the status of being the first Republican female governor in U.S. history.

Roy was also an advisor to the New Hampshire presidential campaign offices of Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush. She died at her home in Kenmore, New York at the age of seventy-six and is buried in Lowell, Massachusetts

Governor Vesta Roy - New Hampshire State House Portrait

1837: Born - Jacob Harold Gallinger, a Representative and a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.

Jacob attended the common schools and completed an academic course; became a printer; studied medicine and graduated from the Cincinnati (Ohio) Medical Institute in 1858; studied abroad for two years; returned to the United States and engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in Concord, N.H.; member, State house of representatives 1872-1873, 1891; member of the State constitutional convention in 1876; member, State senate 1878-1880; was surgeon general of New Hampshire, with the rank of brigadier general 1879-1880

Elected as a Republican to the Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Congresses (March 4, 1885-March 3, 1889); declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1888; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1891; reelected in 1897, 1903, 1909, and 1914, and served from March 4, 1891, until his death in Franklin, N.H., August 17, 1918

Served as President pro tempore during the Sixty-second Congress; Republican Conference chairman (Sixty-third to Sixty-fifth Congresses); chairman, Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard (Fifty-second Congress), Committee on Pensions (Fifty-fourth to Fifty-seventh Congress), Committee on the District of Columbia (Fifty-seventh to Sixty-second Congresses); chairman of the Merchant Marine Commission 1904-1905; interment in Blossom Hill Cemetery, Concord, N.H.

1936 - Born: John Anthony Durkin - Represented New Hampshire in the US Senate 1975 - 1980. born in Brookfield, Worcester County, Mass., March 29, 1936

John attended public schools; graduated from Holy Cross College, Worcester, 1959 and Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C., 1965; served in the United States Navy 1959-1961; admitted to New Hampshire and Massachusetts bars in 1966 and commenced practice in Concord, N.H.; served in office of New Hampshire attorney general 1966-1968; New Hampshire assistant attorney general 1967-1968; New Hampshire insurance commissioner 1968-1973

John was a candidate for election in 1974 to the United States Senate for the six-year term commencing January 3, 1975; due to the contested election, the Senate declared the seat vacant as of August 8, 1975; elected as a Democrat, by special election, September 16, 1975, to fill the vacancy, and served from September 18, 1975, until his resignation December 29, 1980.

Unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1980 and 1990; resumed the practice of law in New Hampshire; was a resident of Manchester, N.H.; died October 16, 2012.

1840: Born - Charles Henry Sawyer (Watertown NY), the fiftieth governor of New Hampshire (1887 - 1889)

Charles H. Sawyer, the fiftieth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Watertown, New York on March 30, 1840. After his family moved to New Hampshire, young Sawyer attended the public schools in Dover, as well as the Franklin Academy.

He then went to work, learning to run the Sawyer Woolen Mills Company, a business in which he served as president of in 1881. Sawyer first entered politics as a member of the Dover city council. He also served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1869 to 1871 and 1876 to 1878; was the aide-de-camp to Governor Charles Bell in 1881; and served as a delegate to the 1884 Republican National Convention.

Sawyer next secured the 1887 Republican gubernatorial nomination. After a close popular election, the legislature named Sawyer the official governor. During his tenure, he represented the state in several national centennial ceremonies. Also, the Hazen railroad bill was vetoed; and the state’s vacant U.S. senatorial seat was filled.

After completing his term, Sawyer secured an appointment to represent the state at the Paris Exposition. Governor Charles H. Sawyer passed away on January 18, 1908 in Dover, New Hampshire.

Charles H Sawyer NH State House Portrait

Charles H Sawyer NH State House Portrait Plate

1941: Born - Robert C Smith, a Representative and a Senator from New Hampshire born in Trenton, N.J., March 30, 1941.

Robert attended public schools in Allentown and Trenton, N.J.; B.A., Lafayette College, Easton, Pa., 1965; served two years active duty in the United States Navy from 1965 to 1967 with one year of duty in Vietnam; also served five years in the Naval Reserve 1962-1965, 1967-1969; taught history, civics and English; owned and managed real estate business; unsuccessful candidate in 1982 for election to the Ninety-eighth Congress.

Elected as a Republican to the Ninety-ninth and to the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1985-January 3, 1991); resigned on December 7, 1990, upon his appointment to the United States Senate; appointed to the United States Senate on December 7, 1990, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Gordon Humphrey, and served for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 1991; elected to the United States Senate in 1990.

Reelected in 1996 and served from December 7, 1990, to January 3, 2003; unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 2002; chair, Select Committee on Ethics (One Hundred Fifth and One Hundred Sixth Congresses), Committee on Environment and Public Works (One Hundred Sixth Congress and One Hundred Seventh Congress [January 20-June 6, 2001]).

1781 - Born: John Wingate Weeks, (great uncle of John Wingate Weeks), a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Greenland, Rockingham County, N.H., March 31, 1781

John attended the common schools; learned the carpenter’s trade; during the War of 1812 recruited a company for the Eleventh Regiment of United States Infantry and served as its captain; promoted to the rank of major; after the war resided in Coos County, N.H., where he held several local offices.

Elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Congresses (March 4, 1829-March 3, 1833); died in Lancaster, Coos County, N.H., April 3, 1853; interment in the Old Cemetery.

1806: Born (Rochester New Hampshire) - John Parker Hale - Representative New Hampshire in Congress from 1843 - 1845 and a US Senator from 1847 - 1853 , 1855 - 1865.

John was born in Rochester, Strafford County, N.H., March 31, 1806; received preparatory education at Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, N.H.; graduated from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, in 1827; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1830 and commenced practice in Dover, N.H.; member, State house of representatives 1832; appointed by President Andrew Jackson as United States attorney in 1834, and was removed by President John Tyler in 1841; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843-March 3, 1845); refused to vote for the annexation of Texas, although instructed to do so by the State legislature, which then revoked his renomination; elected as a Free Soil candidate to the United States Senate in 1846 and served from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1853; unsuccessful candidate for President of the United States on the Free Soil ticket in 1852; again elected to the Senate in 1855 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles G. Atherton; reelected in 1859 and served from July 30, 1855, to March 3, 1865; chairman, Committee on Naval Affairs (Thirty-seventh and Thirty-eighth Congresses), Committee on the District of Columbia (Thirty-eighth Congress); appointed Minister to Spain 1865-1869; returned to Dover, N.H., and died there November 19, 1873; interment in Pine Hill Cemetery.

1840: Born (Candia, New Hampshire) - Henry W. Rowe - Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor Name:Henry Walker Rowe - Age at Enlistment:22 Enlistment Date:14 Aug 1862

PRIVATE HENRY W. ROWE, of the Eleventh New Hampshire Volunteers, gives the following interesting description of how he won his Medal of Honor: " On the night of the 15th of June, 1864, Burnside with his Ninth Corps crossed the James River, and after a twenty-four hour march arrived at the outposts of Petersburg with the advance of his corps. At 6 P. M. an advance was made in the face of a murderous fire, and the Eleventh New Hampshire Volunteers, together with the Second Maryland, succeeded in getting close under a rebel battery. After several hours of continuous firing, during which many men were killed and wounded, the assault had to be given up. " Not discouraged by this first repulse, Burnside reconnoitered the lines and determined to make a second assault.

The point chosen for the attack was a residence owned by Mr. Shand, a large two-story building shaded by buttonwood and gum trees, with a peach orchard in the rear. Fifty yards from the front door was a narrow ravine fifteen or twenty feet deep, with a brook flowing northward. West of the house about the same distance was another brook, the two joining twenty rods north of the house. A rebel brigade held this tongue of land with four guns. Their main line of breastworks was along the edge of the ravine east of the house. South, and on higher ground, was a redan with two guns, which enfiladed the ravine. " It was Burnside's idea to take this tongue of land, break the rebel line and compel the evacuation of the redan. General Potter's Division of the Ninth Corps was selected to carry out his plan, and the attacking column was to consist of General Griffin's brigade on the right, supported by Curtis' on the left.

Griffin's brigade contained, all told, only 260 men, and in the front line the Eleventh New Hampshire found its place, including Company I with its remaining five privates. " A little past midnight General Potter led his division into the ravine in front of the house. The soldiers divested themselves of knapsacks, canteens and cups-everything which could make a noise-and moved forward stealthily. All was still and perfectly quiet. We reached the ravine, and there above us, not fifteen paces distant, were the rebel pickets. The night was warm and sultry.

The sky was flecked by only a few light clouds, the moon becoming full and clear. Not a sound was heard, save the rumble of a wagon or a stray shot from the enemy's pickets. " Finally, a little past three, as the dawn was beginning to light up in the east, the command, 'Forward !' was passed along the line in whispers. " The men rose in a body from the ground; not a gunlock clicked; the bayonet was to do the work, Forward we started with steady, noiseless step. One bound and the rebel pickets were overpowered. Now toward the Shand House, and over the breastworks!

At the right of the house, Comrade Batchelder, of Company I, joined me, and soon we fell in with 'Sol' Dodge, Sergeant of Company C. Passing the second corner of the house, we heard the report of a musket from a rebel pit about fifteen feet to the right. We ran around to the rear of this pit and shouted: 'Surrender, you damned rebels!' The 'Johnnies' were rather rudely awakened from their sleep, and although twenty- seven in number, dropped their guns.

Guarded by our attacking force of three, they were finally turned over to the Union officers in the rear, together with a rebel flag captured by myself. The rebel line was broken and Grant's lines were drawn closer around Petersburg."

1823: Born - Samuel W. Hale , the forty-eighth governor of New Hampshire- Served from 1883 - 1885

Samuel was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts on April 2, 1823.

His education was attained in the public schools of his native state. He established a successful career as a businessman, with interests in the banking, manufacturing, and railroad construction fields. Hale first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1866 to 1867. He also was a member of the Governor’s Council from 1869 to 1870, and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1880. Hale next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in the 1883 general election.

During his tenure, railroad reform measures were sanctioned. After completing his term, Hale retired from political life. He stayed active, returning to his various business interests. Governor Samuel W. Hale passed away on October 16, 1891, and was buried in the Greenlawn Cemetery in Keene, New Hampshire.

1788 - Born: Isaac Hill, the twenty-fourth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 6, 1788.

His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. At the age of fourteen, he went to work as an apprentice in the printing trade, and eventually became the owner and editor of the New Hampshire Patriot. Hill first entered politics as clerk of the New Hampshire State Senate, a position he held in 1819 and 1825. He served as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1820 to 1823 and 1827 to 1828; and was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1826. He also was the second comptroller of the U.S. treasury from 1829 to 1830; and served as a member of the U.S. Senate from 1831 to 1836.

Hill next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1836. He was reelected to a second term in 1837, as well as to a third term in 1838. During his tenure, the state's railroads were improved; and the preservation of state documents was endorsed. After leaving the governorship, Hill continued to stay active in politics.

From 1840 to 1841 he served as the U.S. sub-treasurer at Boston. Afterwards he returned to his various publishing interests, as well as becoming involved in the real estate and banking industries. Governor Isaac Hill died in Washington, D.C., and was buried in the Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord, New Hampshire.

Isaac Hill Nh Governor - NH State House Portrait

Isaac Hill NH State House Portrait Plate

1817 - Born: Walter Harriman - Governor of New Hampshire from 1867 - 1869

Walter Harriman was born in Warner, New Hampshire on April 8, 1817. His education was attained in academies at Henniker and Hopkinton, New Hampshire. Before entering into a political career, Harriman taught school for several years. He also studied and preached theology, as well as establishing a successful general store in Warner. Harriman first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1849 to 1850 and 1858 to 1859.

He was the New Hampshire state treasurer from 1853 to 1854; was a pension office clerk in Washington, D.C. from 1855 to 1856; and served in the New Hampshire State Senate from 1859 to 1861. His political aspirations were temporarily interrupted with the outbreak of the Civil War. He served as a colonel in the 11th New Hampshire Volunteers, participating in the Battle of the Wilderness, where he was captured and later released, earning the rank of brevet brigadier general. After the war he returned to politics. From 1865 to 1867 he served as secretary of state for New Hampshire. Harriman next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in the 1867 general election.

He won reelection to a second term in 1868. During his tenure, measures were taken to restore the state’s economy; education laws were revised; and teaching institutes were established. After leaving the governorship, Harriman secured a position as naval officer for the port of Boston, a post he held from 1869 to 1877. He also served again in the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1881. Governor Walter Harriman, who was the author of several historical and travel books, passed away on July 25, 1884. He was buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery in Warner, New Hampshire.

Walter Harriman NH State House Portrait Plate

1807 - Born: Benjamin Franklin Kelley was born April 10, 1807, in New Hampton, New Hampshire.

At the age of nineteen he moved to Wheeling, in what is now West Virginia, and in 1851 became freight agent of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad there. In May, 1861, Kelley raised the 1st (West) Virginia, a ninety-day regiment which he led at the battle of Phillippi on June 3. (*290) He was wounded severely during this engagement and upon recovery was commissioned brigadier general to rank from May 17.

Virtually all of General Kelley's war service took place in West Virginia and Maryland, where his principal duty was to guard the line of the Baltimore and Ohio and to fend off the constant incursions of Confederate raides seeking to sever this vital line of communications. In consequence he took part in the pursuit of the army of Northern Virginia after Gettysburg, the dispersal of Imboden's camp near Moorefield in November, 1863, and the engagements at Cumberland, Maryland, and Moorefield and New Creek, West Virginia in 1864. On February 21, 1865, a band of Confederate partisan rangers made a raid on Cumberland, Maryland, and carried off General Kelley along with General George Crook, his superior in command of the department of West Virginia. Both Crook and Kelley were at the time engaged to belles of the town (whom they subsequently married), and the affair created a contemporary furore which has been studiously ignored by the biographers of both men. (291)

After a brief sojurn in Richmond, Kelley was released by special exchange. He had been brevetted major general on August 5, 1864, and on June 1, 1865, resigned from the army. During the remainder of his life General Kelley held a succession of Federal positions as a reward for his wartime exploits:

President Grant made him a collector of internal revenue for West Virginia in 1866 and superintendent of the Hot Springs, Arkansas, military reservation ten years later; in 1883 President Arthur appointed him an examiner of pensions. He died in Oakland, Maryland, on July 16, 1891, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

1917: Born - Harl Pease Jr - Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor World War II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.

Born in Plymouth, New Hampshire April 10, 1917. Harl Pease Jr. enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1939. He served as a Captain in the 19th Bomb Group, U.S. Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theater. During a bombing mission over New Guinea on August 5, 1942 one of the engines on his B-17 bomber failed, forcing him to return to an Australian base. There, he selected an aircraft deemed unready for combat missions, but air worthy. Leaving early in the morning, he flew throughout the day, and rejoined his squadron at Port Moresby, New Guinea.

On August 07, 1942, the squadron took off for an attack on a Japanese held airfield near Rabaul, New Britain. The squadron was attacked by about thirty enemy aircraft before reaching their target. He being on the wing of the squadron was able to shoot down several Zeroes and managed to drop his bomb load on the hostile base. His plane was damaged in the attack and fell behind the squadron. The enemy succeeded in igniting one of his bomb bay tanks which he jettisoned, but it was believed that he and his crew were eventually shot down, as they did not return to the home base. In September 1942, a Roman Catholic Priest, Father George Lepping was taken as a prisoner to a Japanese camp near Rabaul. He reported that he found Captain Pease and one his crewmen at the prison camp. Father Lepping reported that Captain Pease, three Americans and two Australian prisoners were taken into the jungle, were forced to dig their own graves and executed by the sword.

On December 2, 1942, the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Flying Cross with an Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Air Medal was posthumously awarded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Mr. and Mrs. Harl Pease Sr. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy on 6–7 August 1942. When 1 engine of the bombardment airplane of which he was pilot failed during a bombing mission over New Guinea, Capt. Pease was forced to return to a base in Australia. Knowing that all available airplanes of his group were to participate the next day in an attack on an enemy-held airdrome near Rabaul, New Britain, although he was not scheduled to take part in this mission, Capt. Pease selected the most serviceable airplane at this base and prepared it for combat, knowing that it had been found and declared unserviceable for combat missions. With the members of his combat crew, who volunteered to accompany him, he rejoined his squadron at Port Moresby, New Guinea, at 1 a.m. on 7 August, after having flown almost continuously since early the preceding morning. With only 3 hours' rest, he took off with his squadron for the attack.

Throughout the long flight to Rabaul, New Britain, he managed by skillful flying of his unserviceable airplane to maintain his position in the group. When the formation was intercepted by about 30 enemy fighter airplanes before reaching the target, Capt. Pease, on the wing which bore the brunt of the hostile attack, by gallant action and the accurate shooting by his crew, succeeded in destroying several Zeros before dropping his bombs on the hostile base as planned, this in spite of continuous enemy attacks. The fight with the enemy pursuit lasted 25 minutes until the group dived into cloud cover. After leaving the target, Capt. Pease's aircraft fell behind the balance of the group due to unknown difficulties as a result of the combat, and was unable to reach this cover before the enemy pursuit succeeded in igniting 1 of his bomb bay tanks. He was seen to drop the flaming tank. It is believed that Capt. Pease's airplane and crew were subsequently shot down in flames, as they did not return to their base. In voluntarily performing this mission Capt. Pease contributed materially to the success of the group, and displayed high devotion to duty, valor, and complete contempt for personal danger. His undaunted bravery has been a great inspiration to the officers and men of his unit.

Information pieced together after the war from two Catholic priests who had been at the Rabaul prisoner of war camp indicates that Captain Pease and another crew member did survive the crash. They were subsequently held at the camp for several weeks, and on October 8, 1942, they were executed by the Japanese. On December 2, 1942, the Medal of Honor, awarded posthumously to Captain Pease for his heroism in combat, was presented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the hero's parents.

In formal dedication ceremonies, Portsmouth Air Force Base was dedicated to Captain Pease on September 7, 1957. That tradition continued 40 years later, as Pease Air National Guard Base was formally rededicated on September 19, 1997.

1838: Born - John B. Smith, the fifty-third governor of New Hampshire, was born in Saxtons River, Vermont on April 12, 1838.

His education was attained at the Francestown Academy, and in the public schools of Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Before entering into politics Smith established a successful career as a businessman. He owned the Contoocook Mills Company, as well as developing holdings in the real estate and banking industries. Smith first entered politics in 1884, serving both as a presidential elector and an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention.

From 1887 to 1889 he served as a member of the Governor's Council; and in 1890 he was chairman of the Republican State Committee. Smith next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in the 1892 general election. During his tenure, several Republican appointments were made to the labor and forestry commissions; and the county controlled asylum system was eliminated.

After completing his term, Smith retired from political life. He continued to stay active in his various business interests. Governor John B. Smith passed away on August 10, 1914 in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.

1840 - Born: Charles Dearborn Copp in Warren NH. Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.

He was a Second Lieutenant with Company C, 9th New Hampshire Infantry and was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism at Fredericksburg, Virginia.

His official CMOH citation reads as follows: Seized the regimental colors, the color bearer having been shot down, and, waving them, rallied the regiment under a heavy fire. Rank and Organization: Second Lieutenant, Company C, 9th New Hampshire Infantry.

Place and Date: At Fredericksburg, Va., 13 December 1862. Entered Service At: Nashua, N.H. Born: 12 April 1840, Warren County, N.H. Date of Issue: 28 June 1890.

1879 - Born: Fred Herbert Brown, a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Ossipee, Carroll County, N.H., April 12, 1879

Fred Brown attended the public schools and Dow Academy, Franconia, N.H., Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., and Boston University School of Law; admitted to the bar in 1907 and commenced practice in Somersworth, N.H.; city solicitor 1910-1914; delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1912; mayor of Somersworth, N.H. 1914-1922; United States attorney for the district of New Hampshire 1914-1922.

Governor of New Hampshire 1923-1924; member of the New Hampshire Public Service Commission 1925-1933; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1933, to January 3, 1939; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1938; appointed Comptroller General of the United States by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in April 1939 and served until his resignation on June 19, 1940.

Served as a member of the United States Tariff Commission 1940-1941; retired from public and political activities; died in Somersworth, N.H., February 3, 1955; interment in Ossipee Cemetery, Ossipee, N.H.

1918 - Born: Harrison R. Thyng ,Laconia, N.H.(1918).

Harrison Thyng was reared in Barnstead, N.H., and he graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1935 as valedictorian of his class. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1939 with a bachelor of arts degree and a reserve commission as 2nd Lieutenant, Infantry, in the United States Army. After his graduation he enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a flying cadet. He won his wings in March 1940, and was assigned to duty with the 94th Squadron, lst Pursuit Group at Selfridge, Mich.

With the entry of the United States into World War II, First Lieutenant Thyng was assigned as commanding officer of the 309th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, and sent to England. The British equipped this group with Spitfires, and Lieutenant Thyng led the first American fighter raids out of England. This group was subsequently transferred secretly to Gibraltar and it opened up the air offensive of the North Africa invasion. Upon completion of the conquest of North Africa, Thyng (now a lieutenant colonel and commander of the 31st Fighter Group) was wounded and returned to the United States. He was an air ace with eight kills and 162 missions to his credit.

A few months later he was promoted to colonel and assigned as commanding officer of the 413th Long Range Fighter Group which he activated and trained. This group made the first single-engine fighter-plane crossing of the Pacific from Hawaii to Ie Shima. From here, Colonel Thyng led missions of P-47N's escorting B-29s over Japan, Korea and China. (One of his 22 escort missions was during the A-bomb dropping an Nagasaki). At the and of the war Colonel Thyng was transferred to the United States, and in 1946 he was commissioned as a regular officer in the U.S. Air Force. From September 1947, to May 1950, Colonel Thyng was an Air National Guard instructor. During this time he organized the Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont Air National Guard. He began flying jet fighter aircraft in 1948, and he commanded the jet-equipped 33rd Fighter Wing until 1951 when he was assigned as commanding officer of the 4th Fighter Wing in Korea. During this time he flew a total of 113 combat missions in the F-86 with seven kills to his credit.

Brigadier General Thyng has air victories over German, French, Italian, Japanese and Russian aircraft. He is one of six men who are both conventional and jet aces. Brigadier General Thyng has served in Air Defense Command as a fighter interceptor group and wing commander, Western Air Defense Force director of operations, air division vice commander, air division commander and sector commander. His jet fighter experience includes the F-80, F-84, F-86, F-89, F-94, F-100, F-102 and F-106. Brigadier General Thyng is now stationed at North Bay, Ontario, Canada, where he is vice commander of the Northern NORAD Region and commander of U.S. Air Force Detachment 5, 4608 Support Squadron (ADC).

After his military retirement, he ran as the Republican candidate for the US Senate seat from New Hampshire held by Democrat Thomas J. McIntyre but was defeated in the general election.

He was the founder of the New England Aeronautical Institute which later merged with Daniel Webster Junior College to become Daniel Webster College in Nashua, New Hampshire, and served as its first president. He retired to Pittsfield, New Hampshire and died there at the age of 65. In July 2004, a memorial in his honor was dedicated in Pittsfield by the Pittsfield

1922 - Born in Newport Rhode Island -Charles "Bud" Thompson - Creator of the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner New Hampshire.

A native of Newport, RI, Bud recalls that life-changing day in second grade. "Our teacher told us we were going to have a visitor. Then in walked a huge, handsome Indian. Our eyes popped out of our heads, but he wasn't threatening." Sachem Silver Star invited the children to sit on the floor in a circle, the Native American's most sacred symbol, "because when you take your place in the circle, you belong." Eyes twinkling, Bud continues. "Silver Star told us that when you're born, you're given a special gift, a talent. When you find it, use it." That evening, little Bud described the encounter to his family, including his older sister who had nicked named him. "She said 'Write him a letter and tell him how great he is. Tell him you hope he'll read about you someday.' So I did and my sister corrected my spelling." Silver Star duly responded, enclosing a photo of himself and thanking Bud. "He said he was already proud of me for writing the letter."

That summer, young Bud visited his grandparents on their farm in Connecticut, where he enjoyed working alongside his grandpa in the garden. "It was a scorcher of a day," Bud recalls. "I was drinking cold water under a maple tree when I saw a little stone. Grandpa told me it was an Indian arrowhead, probably a spear point or a knife blade. Grandpa told me it was like a voice out of the past telling me someone had once lived here." The discovery had a profound effect on the small boy who began to collect more artifacts from Grandpa -- Algonquin, Pequod and Mohegan -- even as he discovered his own talents. The philosophy of Silverstar continues to resonate for Bud and his wife, Nancy, Co-founders of Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum. The Thompsons were deeply troubled by the harm being done to the environment by greed and apathy. With the help of friends, Bud and Nancy set in motion a plan to create a unique museum, not just a mausoleum of artifacts, but an education and cultural center – a “Museum with a Voice” to pass along Silverstar’s message.

The artifacts, instead of being just things would inform the study of cultures that understood how to live harmoniously with this land so as to leave it fruitful and beautiful for generations to come. With this in mind, the Museum galleries, grounds and gardens were designed as teaching tools while also functioning as tranquility zones in which visitors would find respite from the hectic pace of modern life. Consider these statistics in the light of Silverstar’s brief visit. In the 27 years since this “dream museum” was founded, more than 250,000 visitors from all over the U.S. and 34 foreign countries have experienced the Museum with a Voice. MKIM is a favorite site for educational school field trips, and hosts over 5,000 school children a year! An inspired teacher, Silverstar has passed away but his message lives on and thousands of lives have been touched by his inspirational philosophy. One man laid out a road map, a clear path to follow; one boy took that message to heart and made it his life’s journey and we are all the better for it.

The Medicine Woods Nature Trail - Dump to Tranquility Zone In a triumphant story of reclamation, what is now MKIM’s Medicine Woods Trail, was once an unofficial dump. Coils of barbed wire, a broken manure spreader, an old safe minus its door, a refrigerator, lengths of rope, smashed glass and bald tires once littered what is now a peaceful refuge from the hectic pace of the modern world. This space exists as an educational tool that let’s you step out of the daily grind and reconnect with the Earth. Museum Founders Bud and Nancy Thompson had the vision to see the potential of a beautiful arboretum amidst the refuse. With the help and hard work of friends and volunteers, the vision became a reality. Roger Sanborn, a former MKIM Trustee, brought in a front-end loader and a dump truck to haul off larger items. Smaller pieces were picked up by hand. The Student Conservation Association, headquartered in Charlestown, NH, laid out and mapped the trail and leveled pathways.

Bud identified wild plants and set about obtaining non-represented plants used by Native Americans for the site. Generous assistance from Millican Nurseries enables this process even today. Current Board Chairperson, Betsy Janeway orchestrated the securing of a grant to continue trail development. In 2006, our Gardens and Grounds Director, John Brooks, undertook the direction of an ambitious renovation. With grant funding generously awarded by the New Hampshire State Conservation Commission, the trails were widened; leveled significantly, new trails were developed, and new trail covering mulch installed. The result is that the overall accessibility of the Medicine Woods was greatly enhanced, allowing visitors of all ages and abilities to enjoy this jewel. The Medicine Woods was dedicated in June of 1992. John Peters, whose Native name was Slow Turtle, and who was the Supreme Medicine Man of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, presided over the ceremony. His blessing rests lightly over the Medicine Woods to this day.

Over the years, plants have thrived or not, based on their adaptability to our climate. Former Board Secretary and current Honorary Trustee Karen Sullivan produced signs while her husband Joseph, an engineer, developed a bridge to arch over the delicate wetland area to preserve it. Bud is often to be found tending the plants, shrubs and trees. His goal is to showcase plants used by Native Peoples for food, medicine, tools and dyes. Today, Museum Educators take groups, including school groups, on tours through the Medicine Woods. MKIM seeks to develop a greater understanding of, and active respect for, the natural world we all share and upon which our survival is dependant. Visitors, and especially children, listen eagerly to descriptions of how plants were used and quickly grasp the idea that humans are part of the sacred circle and have a responsibility to act responsibly as caregivers to the Earth – mother to us all.

From the Past to the Present MKIM’s mission presents the museum’s goal of connecting people to 20,000 years of ongoing Native American cultural expression. In this way, we span a timeframe that reaches back to the roots of this land, long before it was called America or had been “found” by people from Europe. Native North Americans are an original element in the multi-cultural landscape of the United States. Unfortunately, their complex cultures suffered, and continue to suffer, extreme dissipative pressures after the arrival of the Europeans and the founding of our nation. These cultures form a natural treasure – they exist nowhere but here.

America has been likened to a “melting pot” but that metaphor implies that all the diverse elements are boiled down into a homogenous state. At the Museum a different metaphor prevails – that of the tapestry. If America is seen as a great weaving, in which unique strands retain their distinctiveness while adding to the beauty of the whole – then Native Americans are the original strand. Their history in this land dates back thousands and thousands of years. Much of the archaeological work done in the state relates to Native American artifacts. Putting the science of archaeology in New Hampshire into a Native American context is one of MKIM’s goals. In this we have had the invaluable assistance of several key individuals. Howard Sargent, a Founding Trustee, and seminal figure in New Hampshire archaeology was a key advisor to the Thompson’s as their dream museum took shape. In addition, he created the large mural map of the continent that graces our lobby.

This map, unfortunately incomplete at the time of Sargent’s death, vividly illustrates the range of Native habitation – coast to coast, north to south. Below it is a case containing archaeological artifacts found in New Hampshire including an excellent example of a prehistoric Woodland ceramic vessel as well as lithic implements such as stone axes. As a member of MKIM’s Collections Committee, State Archaeologist Richard Boisvert, helps assess collecting priorities and renovation proposals that impact MKIM’s collections. His office works with MKIM in presenting Project Archaeology trainings that highlight the importance of the land we call New Hampshire. We are grateful to all those who have helped MKIM in its mission to educate visitors about the full scope of Native expression.

August 12, 2021 - It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Charles “Bud” Thompson, founder of the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum, at 99 years of age. From the time he was a young boy, Bud cultivated a love for all things Native American. At the age of 70, he turned his passion into the Mt Kearsarge Indian Museum, with his extensive personal collection of Native artifacts serving as the foundation for this award-winning museum. Through his leadership, the museum has grown and thrived over the past thirty years.

Bud’s contributions were not limited to the museum; he was also instrumental in preserving the Canterbury Shaker Village, and received numerous awards and commendations for his contributions to preserving New Hampshire’s heritage, culture, and history.

Bud’s energy and ideas for the museum will be sorely missed, and we extend our sincerest condolences to his wife, family, and the many people whose lives were touched by him. We are honored to be the stewards of his vision and his legacy, and will do everything in our power to safeguard this legacy for the generations to come.

A public memorial service for Bud Thompson was held at the museum (outdoors) on Saturday, September 25th, 2021 at 2 pm. Thank you to all who were able to attend and who donated to the museum in memory of Bud.

Mt Kearsarge Indian Museum Warner New Hampshire

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum Web Page

Hon. John Kimball, A.M., ex-mayor of Concord, N.H., a man of strong character, sterling worth, and more than ordinary ability, is held in high esteem by his fellow-citizens.

He was born in Canterbury, N.H., April 13, 1821, a son of Benjamin and Ruth (Ames) Kimball. The Kimballs have been domiciled in New England for more than two hundred and sixty years, and have given to these States many intelligent and capable men and women. The first immigrants of the name, Henry and Richard Kimball, with their wives and children, fled from the religious persecutions of the Old World, and found freedom and prosperity in the new. Joseph Kimball, who was of the fifth generation in America, was the great-grandfather of John Kimball. He was born in Exeter, N.H., and died in Canterbury.

John Kimball was apprenticed at the age of seventeen to his father’s cousin, William Moody Kimball, to learn the millwright’s trade; and, as he had a natural gift for mechanics, it was not long before he was a Suncook and Manchester, N.H., and Lowell and Lawrence, Mass. In 1848 he took charge of the new machine and car shops of the Concord Railroad in this city. In 1850 he was master mechanic; and he efficiently acted in that capacity for eight years, turning his attention then from mechanical to other pursuits. In the railroad service his practical skill and sound judgment were in constant requisition, and his training and experience there were afterward used to good account in behalf of the city and State. He gradually became interested in various financial and political enterprises, and as his ability became recognized greater responsibilities devolved upon him. Thousands of dollars were entrusted to him as guardian, trustee, administrator, and executor, and never was a trust betrayed or slighted; and, to quote from a local paper, “as Treasurer of the New Hampshire Bible Society, the New Hampshire Orphans’ Home, and various other such institutions, he has been trustworthy, painstaking, and just.” For twenty-six years he has been Treasurer of the Merrimack County Savings Bank. He has been for a number of years a Director of the Mechanics National Bank; and he has filled the office of President of the Concord Gas Light Company, of which he is now Treasurer. In 1880, when the Manchester & Keene Railroad was placed in the hands of the court, the late Chief Justice Doe appointed Mr. Kimball one of the Trustees.

Mr. Kimball’s father and grandfather were stanch Whigs; and he has followed the family traditions, giving his lifelong allegiance to the Republican party. He was for twenty-seven years Treasurer of the Republican State Committee. In 1856 he was elected to the Common Council of this city. In 1857 he was re-elected and chosen President of that body. In 1858 he was sent to the House of Representatives from Ward Five, where he has always made his home since he took up his residence in this city; and he was re-elected in 1859, and presided as Chairman of the Committee on State Prison. From 1859 to 1862 he was City Marshal and Tax Collector of Concord; and his administration was marked by “promptness, accuracy, and close devotion to the interests of the people.” In 1862 President Lincoln appointed him Collector of Internal Revenue for the Second District of New Hampshire, comprising Merrimack and Hillsborough Counties; and during the seven years he held the office he collected and paid to the Treasurer of the United States nearly seven million dollars. He was for eleven years Moderator of Ward Five, an impartial and clear-headed presiding officer; and for a number of years he served acceptably as moderator of the Union School District.

In 1872 through a popular movement he was elected Mayor of Concord. He was honored with re-election in 1873, 1874, and 1875, annual elections then being the law. Immediately after his installation as Mayor a severe freshet injured five of the seven wooden bridges over the Merrimack and Contoocook Rivers. As superintendent of roads and bridges he repaired these structures in such a manner as to demonstrate his mechanical knowledge, replacing the insecure bridges by substantial structures that defy the wear and tear of time and travel. During his administration the water supply system from Penacook Lake was completed; and he was afterward elected one of the Water Commissioners, and served for fourteen years as President of the Board. While he was Mayor, also, the fire department was invested with new dignity by the city government, the central fire station and other Mayor Kimball. Blossom Hill Cemetery was doubled in size, the main thoroughfares of the city were graded and improved, and stone culverts replaced the primitive wooden ones which had served for years.

In 1876 Mr. Kimball was elected a member of the convention to revise the Constitution of the State, and served as Chairman of its Committee on Finance. In 1877 an appropriation was made by the legislature for a new State Prison; and upon the passage of the law, which was a carefully guarded one, Governor Benjamin F. Prescott, with the advice of his council, appointed Mr. Kimball, Albert M. Shaw, and Alfred J. Pillsbury commissioners to carry the law into effect. Mr. Kimball was chosen chairman of the board. Under these commissioners the present penitentiary was completed in the fall of 1880, every dollar appropriated being prudently and judiciously expended. In November, 1880, Mr. Kimball was elected to the State Senate from the Tenth Senatorial District; and when the Senate was organized, in June, 1881, he was chosen President. In this honorable position he presided with wisdom, dignity, and courtesy. He was chairman of the committee that built the high school, and he has rendered such services to the cause of popular education that one of the handsomest modern school-houses in Concord has been named in his honor the Kimball School. Mr. Kimball was honored with the degree of Master of Arts by Dartmouth College in 1884. He was a Director of the Republican Press Association of Concord.

On May 27, 1846, he was married to Maria H. Phillips, of Rupert, Vt., who died December 22, 1894. He has since married Miss Charlotte Atkinson, a lady of culture and refinement. His only child, a daughter-Clara Maria, born March 20, 1848 -was married June 4, 1873, to Augustine R. Ayers, of this city, and had several children.

In person Mr. Kimball is tall, erect, and remarkably well-preserved for a man of seventy-six. He is a total abstainer, and his modes of life are regular. He is firm and decided, with strong confidence in his own judgment; frank and downright, always giving right the precedence of policy; somewhat bluff in manner, but never discourteous; openhearted and free, kindly and sensitive. A careful reader, he is particularly fond of genealogical and historical research; and he speaks and writes with precision. Faithful in every relation of life, public and domestic, he is valued and loved by all. Mr. Kimball has travelled abroad, and is one of the most cultured men of the day. In 1843 he joined the Congregational church at his old home in Boscawen, N.H.; and for a great many years he has been a member of the South Congregational Church of Concord, contributing generously to its support.

1859 - Born: Samuel D Felker, the sixty-third governor of New Hampshire, was born in Rochester, New Hampshire on April 16, 1859.

His education was attained at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1882, and at Boston University, where he earned a law degree in 1887. After establishing his legal career in Rochester, Felker entered into politics. He first served as a member of the 1889 State Constitutional Convention.

He also was a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1891 to 1892; and served as the mayor of Rochester from 1896 to 1897. He was the Rochester city solicitor from 1899 to 1913; and served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1909 to 1911.

Felker next secured the 1912 Democratic gubernatorial nomination. After a close popular election, the legislature named Felker the legal governor. During his tenure, several progressive measures were lobbied for; and numerous appointments were made in key administrative positions.

After declining to run for reelection, Felker secured a judicial appointment to the Rochester Municipal Court, a position he held until 1930. Governor Samuel D. Felker passed away on November 14, 1932 in Rochester, New Hampshire.

Samuel Felker NH State House Portrait Plate

1850 - Born: Daniel Chester French in Exeter NH.

Daniel Chester French was born in Exeter, N.H. He grew up in Concord, Mass., and came under the influence of the intellectual circle of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott. French chose to become a sculptor early in life and had the benefit of study with the painter William Morris Hunt and the sculptors William Rimmer and John Q.A. Ward—a particularly fortuitous group of instructors because of the variety of their esthetic approaches and their sympathetic professionalism. With Emerson's assistance in 1874 French received the commission for the statue Minute Man for Concord. This immediately brought him fame.

Though based upon the classical Apollo Belvedere, the sculpture was totally in keeping with the then-advanced style of historical bronze monuments. In 1876 French went to Italy and studied with Thomas Ball, whose work combined the neoclassic heritage and the new naturalism. Some of French's first works on his return to the United States were not unlike the plaster groups of John Rogers. However, French gained fame principally through the large public monuments he created for the custom houses in St. Louis and Philadelphia, the Boston Post Office, and, above all, the gigantic statue, The Republic, that dominated the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

French evolved a type of allegorical figure which became his trademark, although it was emulated by other sculptors. This was the statuesque, somewhat sexless female in long flowing gown, as in the Alma Mater at Columbia University or the Spirit of Life at the Spencer Trask Memorial at Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The heavy, voluminous drapery often flowed over the heads of these figures as well, as can be seen in his most eloquent and personal work, Angel of Death and the Young Sculptor, a memorial to his friend and fellow sculptor Martin Milmore, who died young.

The figure of Death confronts an idealized sculptor, who is at work on a relief of a sphinx. French's best-known works are his two statues of Abraham Lincoln. The first, a standing Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska, is similar to one by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in Chicago. The second, completed in 1922, and French's most famous sculpture, is the seated Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., done as one of several collaborative works with architect Henry Bacon.

1806 - Born: Moody Currier - The forty-ninth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Boscawen New Hampshire on April 22, 1806.

His education was attained at an academy in Hopkinton, and at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1834. After working as an editor and teacher, Currier studied law. He established his legal career in Manchester, but after a few years of practicing, became involved in the banking and railroad industries. Currier first entered politics as clerk of the New Hampshire State Senate, a position he held from 1843 to 1844. He also served as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1856 to 1857, serving as president of the senate in 1857.

From 1860 to 1861 he served on the Governor's Council. He also was chairman of the war committee; and served as a presidential elector in 1876. Currier next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1885. During his tenure, fiscal measures were initiated to lessen the state's declining economy; and legislation was sanctioned that mandated insurance companies to reimburse policy owners the entire value of their policies.

After leaving the governorship, Currier retired from political life. Governor Moody Currier passed away on August 23, 1898, and was buried in the Valley Cemetery in Manchester, New Hampshire.

1832 - Born : Edward Cross (Lancaster) Civil War Union Army Officer, Veteran of Gettysburg - New Hampshire Fighting Fifth.

In the mid 1800’s Edward Cross was a Washington correspondent and wrote articles for newspapers such as the New York Herald. He also worked several times as a US Army Scout in the Arizona Territory where he established the territory's first newspaper and had mining interest.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, he returned east and was commissioned a Colonel in command of the 5th New Hampshire Infantry, Union Army. He soon gained a reputation as skilled leader in front of his corps, also being wounded in battles to include at Seven Pines, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.

On July 2, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg, he led a brigade in 1st Division, II Corps. His division was sent to the left flank to help stabilize it after the Confederates had begun attacking. Cross's brigade was formed on the left of the division's III Corps battle line, when he was mortally wounded while at the left of his line near the Rose Woods. He died the next day in a field hospital and body was shipped home to Lancaster, New Hampshire.

Colonel Edward Cross, NH State House Portrait

1805: Born - Augustus Addison Gould, (born April 23, 1805, New Ipswich, New Hampshire, U.S.—died September 15, 1866, Boston, Massachusetts)

Naturalist and physician, pioneer of American conchology (the study of shells), and one of the first authorities on the invertebrate animals of New England. Gould was one of Massachusetts’s leading medical men.

He became a specialist in the study of mollusks and published many works on crustaceans and insects. His most important publication, the Report on the Invertebrata of Massachusetts (1841), greatly encouraged the study of mollusks in the United States. He was coauthor of Principles of Zoology

1866: Born - Eugene Elliott Reed - Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1913 - 1914.

Eugene was born in Manchester, N.H., April 23, 1866

He attended the public schools and received instruction from private tutors; studied law; director and officer of numerous New England and New York corporations and engaged in construction contracting business; alderman of Manchester 1899-1903 and mayor 1903-1911; Democratic National and State committeeman for twelve years; delegate to Democratic National Conventions in 1908, 1912, 1916, and 1924; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1910 to the Sixty-second Congress; elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-third Congress (March 4, 1913-March 3, 1915)

Unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1914 to the Sixty-fourth Congress; appointed by President Wilson on the Philippine Commission and served as secretary of commerce and police in 1916; negotiated the purchase and was first president under the Philippine ownership of Manila railroads; returned to the United States in 1918; unsuccessful candidate for United States Senator in 1918; engaged in the general export business in New York 1919-1922; vice president of United Life & Accident Insurance Co., Concord, N.H., 1922-1931.

National Recovery Administration director for New Hampshire in 1933 and 1934; State director, National Emergency Council and Federal Housing Agency 1934-1939; member, New Hampshire Emergency Flood Relief and Rehabilitation Committee in 1936; member New Hampshire Disaster Relief Committee in 1938; regional director for New England, Office of Government Reports, in 1939 and 1940; died at Manchester, N.H., December 15, 1940; interment in Pine Grove Cemetery.

1776 - Born: General James Miller: James Miller (25 April 1776 – 7 July 1851) first Governor of Arkansas Territory, and a Brigadier General in the United States Army during the War of 1812.

James Miller was born in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He started a law practice at Greenfield, New Hampshire in 1803. He joined the New Hampshire state militia and commanded an artillery unit, until General Benjamin Pierce noticed him and recommended that he be commissioned as a Major in the regular army.

Miller joined with the 4th United States Infantry. In 1811 Miller's unit went to fight Indians in Vincennes, Indiana, where he was promoted to Colonel. In May 1812 his regiment moved to Detroit, Michigan. He was the commander during the Battle of Maguaga. Shortly afterwards, Miller was taken prisoner in 1813 and was later exchanged.

In 1814, Miller was Colonel of the 21st Infantry Regiment and led his men in the capture of the British artillery at the Battle of Lundy's Lane. His "I will try sir!" quote became famous and he earned the name of "Hero of Lundy's Lane".

Miller was made a Brigadier General by the U.S. Congress after the battle but soon left the army in 1819. He served as territorial Governor of Arkansas from 1819 to 1825. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1824 but never took office. Miller died of a stroke at Temple, New Hampshire. Miller County, Arkansas is named for James Miller.

1841 - Born: Luther Franklin McKinney - Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1887 - 1888 & 1891 - 1892

Luther was born in Newark, Licking County, Ohio, April 25, 1841; attended common and private schools; taught school; during the Civil War enlisted in Company D, First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, August 5, 1861, and served until February 1863; moved to Iowa in 1865, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and also taught school until 1867; was graduated from St. Lawrence University, Canton, N.Y., June 30, 1870; moved to Bridgton, Maine, in 1871, where he was ordained a pastor of the Universalist Church

He moved to Newfields, N.H., in 1873, and subsequently, in 1875, to Manchester, N.H., pursuing his ministerial duties in both places; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1884 to the Forty-ninth Congress; elected as a Democrat to the Fiftieth Congress (March 4, 1887-March 3, 1889); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1888 to the Fifty-first Congress; elected to the Fifty-second Congress (March 4, 1891-March 3, 1893)

Hewas not a candidate for renomination in 1892; unsuccessful candidate for Governor of New Hampshire in 1892; United States Minister to Colombia, South America, 1893-1897; returned to Bridgton, Maine, and engaged in the furniture business; member of the State house of representatives in 1907 and 1908; again pastor of the Universalist Church at Bridgton, Cumberland County, Maine, and served until his death there on July 30, 1922; interment in Forest Hill Cemetery

1768 - Born: Jeremiah Mason - a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Lebanon, New London County, Conn., April 27, 1768

He graduated from Yale College in 1788; studied law; moved to Vermont and was admitted to the bar in 1791; moved to New Hampshire and practiced law; attorney general of New Hampshire 1802-1805; elected June 8, 1813, as a Federalist to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy in the term beginning March 4, 1813, and served from June 21, 1813, until June 16, 1817, when he resigned; member, State house of representatives 1820-1821, 1824

President of the Portsmouth branch of the United States Bank 1828-1829; moved to Boston, Mass., in 1832; retired from the practice of law in 1838, but continued as chamber counsel up to the time of his death in Boston, Mass., October 14, 1848; interment in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Mass.

Dorchester New Hampshire Granted May 1, 1772

1784 - Born: Henry Hubbard, the twenty-sixth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Charlestown, New Hampshire .

His early education was attained through home tutoring, and later at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1803. He studied law and then established his legal career in his hometown of Charlestown. Hubbard first entered politics in 1810, serving as town moderator, a position he held sixteen times.

He served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1812 to 1815, 1819 to 1820 and 1823 to 1827; was speaker of the house from 1825 to 1827; and served as selectman in 1819, 1820 and 1828. From 1823 to 1828 he served as the state solicitor for Cheshire County, and from 1827 to 1829 was the Sullivan County probate judge.

He also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1829 to 1835, as well as serving as a member of the U. S. Senate from 1835 to 1841. Hubbard next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1842. He was reelected to a second term in 1843.

During his tenure, the elimination of capital punishment was lobbied for; and tax reduction was advocated for women who owned property. After leaving the governorship, Hubbard continued to stay politically active. He served as U.S. sub-treasurer in Boston, a post he held from 1846 to 1849. Governor Henry Hubbard passed away on June 5, 1857, and was buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Charlestown, New Hampshire.

Old Man of the Mountain Falls - May 3 2003

Ira Young - Lisbon NH May 5 1794 - General during Indian Stream Republic War

1834: Born - David H Goodell, the fifty-first governor of New Hampshire, was born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire on May 6, 1834.

His education was attained at academies in New Hampton, Hancock and Francestown. He later attended Brown University, but never graduated. Goodell became a successful inventor and businessman, and eventually established the Goodell Company that manufactured kitchen utensils and the lightning apple parer, which he invented. He first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1876 to 1879. From 1876 to 1883 he served as a member of the State Board of Agriculture; and from 1883 to 1885 he was a member of the Governor’s Council.

Goodell next secured the 1888 Republican gubernatorial nomination. After a close election, the legislature named Goodell the official governor. During his tenure, state statutes were revised; the board of bank commissioners became a permanent organization; and liquor prohibition laws were lobbied for.

After completing his term, Goodell retired from political life. He returned to his various business interests, as well as continuing in his efforts to secure passage of a temperance act. Governor David H. Goodell passed away on January 22, 1915 in Antrim, New Hampshire.

1863 - Born Harry True Lord, representative from ward 4, Manchester, was born in that city, May 7, 1 863.

He was educated in its public schools, and upon graduation entered Dartmouth College, receiving his degree with the class of 1887. He soon after entered the office of Hon. David A. Taggart, where he read law and was admitted to practice in July, 1894. Since that time he had been in the practice of law in the Queen City.

He was soon after elected to the lower branch of the Legislature and served throughout the session of 1895. He was deeply interested in the welfare-of his native city, as attested by the fact that in 1899, during his first term in the city council, he was elected president of the board and served for four years, retiring in 1902. During the same year, he was a member of the convention to revise the state constitution.

At the last election he was again chosen to the Legislature, and has served as a member of the committee on judiciary and as chairman of the Hillsborough County delegation. During Mr. Lord 's college course, he became a member of the famous Tri Kappa Society, and in his senior year was honored by an election to the Sphinx.

In Masonry, he was a member of the Blue lodge, chapter, council, and of Trinity Commandery. He was also a Red Man and has been for some years secretary of the Calumet Club.

1799 - Born: Samuel Dinsmoor Jr. - The thirtieth governor of New Hampshire and son of New Hampshire Governor Samuel Dinsmoor, was born in Keene, New Hampshire on May 8, 1799.

His education was attained at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1814. He studied law, and then established his legal career, serving several years as a legal assistant to Arkansas Territorial Governor James Miller. Dinsmoor first entered politics as clerk of the New Hampshire State Senate, a position he held in 1826, 1827, 1829 and 1830.

He also was a commissioner that facilitated French General Lafayette visit to New Hampshire in 1825. Dinsmoor next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1849. He was reelected to a second term in 1850, as well as to a third term in 1851.

During his tenure, the state militia was restructured; the states' authority to govern corporations was lobbied for; and the open disclosure of state railroad funds was supported. After leaving the governorship, Dinsmoor retired from political life. He continued to stay active in his legal and banking interests. Governor Samuel Dinsmoor Jr. passed away in Keene on February 24, 1869.

A tradesman in Concord when the Civil War began. He was commissioned Adjutant of the 6th New Hampshire Infantry November 30, 1861. Wounded and taken prisoner at the Second Battle of Bull
Run, Virginia August 29, 1862, Bixby was for some weeks confined at Libby Prison before being exchanged, October 3, 1862.

He rejoined the
Sixth, and on October 15, 1862 Bixby was commissioned major, to replace O.G. Dort who had resigned. After the death of Lieutenant Colonel Pearson at North Anna,Virginia on May 26, 1864, Bixby was in command of the regiment for some time. The Sixth was in the siege of Petersburg, Virginia and Bixby was wounded twice in events leading up to Petersburg.

The second time he was wounded so severely that it was three months before he came back to the Sixth. In his absence he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and after his return he was again in charge of the regiment most of the time.

He was appointed Colonel, February 21, 1865. On April 2, 1865 Bixby was formally put in charge of the brigade, and he remained in charge until Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House. mustered out with his regiment on September 17, 1865.He also received the Brevet appointment of Colonel of United States Volunteers, for gallant and highly meritorious conduct in the assault before Petersburg, Virginia, to date from April 2, 1865

1900 - Born: Norris H Cotton (Warren NH) - Born on a farm in Warren, Grafton County, N.H., May 11, 1900;

Norris attended Phillips Exeter Academy at Exeter, N.H.; graduated from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., in 1923; editor of the Granite Monthly; clerk of the State senate; aide to United States Senator George Moses; attended the law school of George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; admitted to the bar in 1928 and commenced practice in Lebanon, N.H.

Member, State house of representatives 1923, 1943, 1945, serving as majority leader in 1943 and speaker in 1945; elected as a Republican to the Eightieth Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1947, until his resignation November 7, 1954, having been elected to the United States Senate; elected on November 2, 1954, as a Republican to the United States Senate to complete the unexpired term caused by the death of Charles W. Tobey for the term ending January 3, 1957.

Reelected in 1956, 1962, and again in 1968, and served from November 8, 1954, until his resignation December 31, 1974; was not a candidate for reelection in 1974; chairman, Republican Conference (1973-75); subsequently appointed to the seat August 8, 1975, to fill the vacancy caused by the contested election of November 5, 1974, and served from August 8, 1975, until September 18, 1975; was a resident of Lebanon, N.H., until his death, February 24, 1989; interment in First Congregational Church Cemetery.

1786 - Born: Samuel Jones: New Hampshire Senate President in 1838

Samuel Jones was born on May 12, 1786 in Hopkinton New Hampshire. He moved to Bradford New Hampshire in 1809, where he taught school and opened up a hotel at the "MIll Village".

As a prominent local businessman, Jones became a Mason, joining the Blazing Star Lodge in 1818. On January 7, 1819, Jones raised St. Peter's Lodge - Number 31. Active in the Masons, Jones served as Master (1829-1830), District Deputy Grand Master (1841-1843) and Master once more (1846-1848).

He was also Bradford's first Postmaster in 1822. Jones served as a State Representative (1821-1824 and 1831-1833, & 1842). He was elected as a State Senator (1836-1838) and President of the Senate in 1838. His last political position was as a member of the Executive Council (1846- 1848).

1739 - Born:Paine Wingate, a Delegate, a Senator, and a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Amesbury, Mass., May 14, 1739;

He graduated from Harvard College in 1759; studied theology and was ordained a minister of the Congregational Church in 1763, holding a pastorate in Hampton Falls, N.H., until 1776; moved to Stratham, N.H., in 1776 and engaged in agricultural pursuits; member of the State constitutional convention in 1781; member, State house of representatives 1783; Member of the Continental Congress in 1788; elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1793.

Elected to the Third Congress (March 4, 1793-March 3, 1795); member, State house of representatives 1795; judge of the superior court of New Hampshire 1798-1809; withdrew from political life and resumed agricultural pursuits; died in Stratham, N.H., on March 7, 1838, being the last survivor of the Continental Congress; interment in Stratham Cemetery.

General John Adams Dix NH State House Portrait

General John Adams Dix NH State House Portrait Plate

4th Provincial Congress - Exeter NH May 17, 1775

1817 - Born - William Bradley Small. A Representative from New Hampshire; born in Limington, Maine, May 17, 1817;

He moved with his parents to Ossipee, N.H.; attended the public schools and Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, N.H.; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1846 and commenced practice in Newmarket, N.H.; solicitor of Rockingham County, N.H.; member of the State house of representatives in 1865.

Heserved in the State senate in 1870; elected as a Republican to the Forty-third Congress (March 4, 1873-March 3, 1875); was not a candidate for renomination in 1874; resumed the practice of law and also engaged in banking; died in Newmarket, N.H., April 7, 1878; interment in Riverside Cemetery.

1851 - Born: George H Adams

George Herbert Adams (May 18, 1851 – November 18, 1911) was an American Republican politician and lawyer who served as the President of the New Hampshire Senate.

Adams was born in Campton, New Hampshire, May 18, 1851, the only child of Isaac L. and Louisa C. (Blair) Adams. After he graduated from Dartmouth College in 1873, Adams spent a year as the principal of the high school of Marlborough, Massachusetts. In January 1874,

Adams entered the law office of Henry W. Blair in Plymouth, New Hampshire to study the law. Adams studied law until he was admitted to the Bar, during the September 1876 term of the New Hampshire Supreme Court at Grafton County, New Hampshire.

On January 14, 1877, Adams married Sarah Katherine Smith of Meredith, New Hampshire. They had two children, Walter Blair Adams born December 13, 1887, and George Herbert Adams, Jr., born April 12, 1890. Adams was a delegate from Campton at the 1876 New Hampshire Constitutional Convention, and he was to elected to represent Plymouth in the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1883, and to the New Hampshire Senate in 1889 and 1905, and in 1905 he was chosen the President of the New Hampshire Senate.

Adams was twice elected the Solicitor of Grafton County, New Hampshire, serving for four years starting April 1, 1895. Adams died in Plymouth, New Hampshire November 18, 1911, and is buried in Trinity Cemetery, Holderness, New Hampshire.

1930: Born - Warren Bruce Rudman - Born in Boston, Suffolk County, Mass., May 18, 1930.

He attended the public schools of Nashua, N.H.; graduated, Valley Forge Military School, Wayne, Pa., 1948; graduated, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y., 1952; graduated, Boston College Law School, Boston, Mass., 1960; served in the United States Army Infantry 1952-1954; admitted to the New Hampshire bar in 1960 and commenced practice in Nashua; served as legal counsel to the Governor 1970; attorney general of New Hampshire 1970-1976; practiced law, Manchester, N.H., 1976-1980.

Elected as a Republican to the United States Senate on November 4, 1980, for the six-year term commencing January 3, 1981; subsequently appointed by the Governor on December 29, 1980, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John A. Durkin for the term ending January 3, 1981; reelected in 1986 and served from December 29, 1980, to January 3, 1993; was not a candidate for reelection in 1992; chairman, Select Committee on Ethics (Ninety-ninth Congress)

He resumed the practice of law in Washington, D.C.; appointed by President William Clinton as member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board in 1993 and served until 2001, serving as chairman 1995-2001; chairman, Special Oversight Board for Department of Defense Investigations of Gulf War Chemical and Biological Incidents 1998; co-chair, U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century 2001; co-founder, The Concord Coalition

He died in Washington, D.C., on November 19, 2012.

Fitzwilliam NH, Incorporated May 19, 1773

1828: Born - Natt Head, the forty-sixth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Hooksett, New Hampshire on May 20, 1828.

His education was attained at Pembroke Academy. After working in the family's lumber and farming business, Head established a successful construction company that focused on railroad development in the state. He also became involved in the banking and insurance industries. Head first entered politics in 1861, serving as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held again in 1862.

He also served as the state adjutant general from 1864 to 1870; and was elected to the New Hampshire State Senate in 1874, but due to a ballot name technicality, was denied a seat. However, in 1876 and 1877 he successfully won election to the senate, where he also served as senate president in the latter term.

Head next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected by a popular vote, becoming the first governor to serve a two-year term. During his tenure, a child's labor law was sanctioned; a new state prison was opened; and legislation was enacted that required a telegraph in all railroad stations.

After completing his term, Head retired from political life. He stayed active, returning to his various business interests. Governor Nathaniel Head passed away in Hooksett on November 12, 1883.

Governor Natt Head NH State House Portraits

1787: Born - John Page the twenty-fifth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Haverhill, New Hampshire on May 21, 1787.

His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. During the War of 1812, he served as a lieutenant and participated in the protection of New Hampshire's frontier at Stewartstown. Page first entered politics in 1813, serving as selectman of Haverhill, a position he held fourteen consecutive terms.

He served as an assistant U.S. tax assessor in 1815; was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1818 to 1820 and 1835; and served as the Grafton County register of deeds in 1827 and 1829 to 1835. He also served as a member of the U.S. Senate from 1836 to 1837; and was a member of the Governor's Executive Council in 1836 and 1838. Page next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor in the 1839 general election. He was reelected annually until 1841.

During his tenure, the imprisonment debt law was eliminated; the state's first geological survey was authorized; funding was sanctioned for establishing a school for the blind; and the 1841 Webster-Ashburton treaty was negotiated. After completing his term, Page was instrumental in founding the state Republican Party.

Governor John Page passed away on September 8, 1865, and was buried in the Ladd Street Cemetery in Haverhill, New Hampshire

1807: Born William Haile - Senate President and NH Governor

William Haile, the thirty-fourth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Putney, Vermont in May 22,1807.

His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. As a young teenager, he went to live and work with a Chesterfield, New Hampshire storeowner. He eventually became a successful businessman, opening his own store in Centre Village, as well as establishing the Haile, Frost and Company, a business that produced cashmerettes.

Haile first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1846 to 1850, 1853, and 1856. He also was a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1854 to 1856, serving as senate president in 1855. Haile next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1857. He was reelected to a second term in 1858.

During his tenure, a state reform school was instituted; liquor prohibition was endorsed; and the extension of slavery was contested, as well as the Supreme Court’s 1857 Dred Scott decision. After completing his term, Haile retired from political life. Governor William Haile passed away on July 22, 1876 in Keene, New Hampshire.

William Haile NH State House Portrait Plate

1862: Born - Henry W. Keyes, the sixty-fifth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Newbury, Vermont on May 23, 1862.

His education was attained at Harvard University, where he graduated in 1887. Keyes became a successful cattle breeder, and was credited with the initiating the Holstein-Friesian breed in the United States. He also was instrumental in founding the Woodsville National Bank in 1897.

Keyes first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1891 to 1895 and 1915 to 1917. He also served in the New Hampshire State Senate from 1903 to 1905; was the treasurer of the State License Commission from 1903 to 1915; and served as chairman of the State Excise Commission from 1915 to 1917.

Keyes next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1916. During his tenure, several World War I measures were implemented; a state library commission was established; a stock fraud protection law was enacted; and the Boston and Maine Railroad restructure plan was initiated.

While still in office, Keyes won election to the U.S. Senate, a position he held from 1919 to 1937. Governor Henry W. Keyes passed away on June 19, 1938, and was buried in the Oxbow Cemetery in Newbury, Vermont.

1813: Born - George Gilman Fogg - a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Meredith Center, Belknap County, N.H., May 26, 1813.

He pursued classical studies and graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1839; studied law at Meredith and at the Harvard Law School; admitted to the bar in 1842 and commenced practice at Gilmanton Iron Works, N.H.; moved to Concord in 1846; member, State house of representatives 1846; secretary of State of New Hampshire 1846; newspaper publisher 1847-1861; reporter of the State supreme court 1856-1860; secretary of the Republican National Executive Committee in 1860.

Appointed by President Abraham Lincoln as Minister Resident to Switzerland 1861-1865; appointed as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Daniel Clark and served from August 31, 1866, to March 3, 1867.

Hewas not a candidate for election to the Senate in 1866; editor of the Concord Daily Monitor; died in Concord, N.H., October 5, 1881; interment in Blossom Hill Cemetery.

1816 - Born: Harry Hibbard, NH State Senate President and US Congressman

Harry Hibbard, (cousin of Ellery Albee Hibbard), a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Concord, Essex County, Vt., June 1, 1816.

He pursued classical studies and was graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1835; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1838 and commenced practice in Bath, Grafton County, N.H.; assistant clerk and clerk of the State house of representatives 1840-1842; member of the State house of representatives 1843-1845 and speaker in 1844 and 1845

He served in the State senate in 1845, 1847, and 1848 and as president of that body in 1847 and 1848; delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1848 and 1856; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-first, Thirty-second, and Thirty-third Congresses (March 4, 1849-March 3, 1855)

Hewas not a candidate for renomination in 1854; declined an appointment to the State supreme court; died in a sanatorium in Sommerville, Mass., on July 28, 1872; interment in the Village Cemetery, Bath, N.H.

1794 : Born Nathaniel Peabody Rogers in Plymouth New Hampshire

Successful attorney--and father of eight--Nathaniel Peabody Rogers walked away from his Plymouth, NH, law practice in the 1830s for a dangerous and nearly unpaid gig editing a Concord-based anti-slavery newspaper, the Herald of Freedom. Plymouth State University historian Rebecca R. Noel tells the story of this feisty Granite State native, one of the so-called New Hampshire radicals. Rogers’ dedication to abolition and racial inclusion took several forms in his relatively short life. He sheltered fugitives in Plymouth and Concord, co-founded the integrated Noyes Academy in Canaan, networked with major abolitionists including Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison, and above all wrote passionate, searing essays against slavery and racism. Henry David Thoreau admired Rogers’ political zeal and his beautiful nature writing about the White Mountains, published under the pseudonym “The Old Man of the Mountain,” and abolitionist poet John Pierpont called Rogers the best newspaper writer in the United States. Rogers’ story shines a light on this lively reform era, and his contributions to the crusade for social justice still resonate today.

Nathaniel P. Rogers NH State House Portrait

1744: Born - Jeremy Belknap Jeremy was a liberal Congregational minister and historian, and graduated from Boston Latin School, and Harvard University in 1762.

He taught school in several places before he began the study of theology. In 1767 he began his profession as a preacher in Dover New Hampshire at a Congregational Church, and bought a house. On 5 June 1767 he was married (by Rev. Andrew Eliot) to Ruth Eliot in Boston, Suffolk Co., MA. He remained there twenty years. In 1787 he moved back to Boston as pastor of the Federal Street Church, (considered a liberal Congregational Church, and later an early Unitarian Universalist congregation) where he remained until his death. During the American Revolution he was a member of the Dover, New Hampshire militia (1775), and was called to the Siege of Boston. He remained with that group as chaplain. He researched and compiled a variety of books with great care and reliability for the time including the “History of New Hampshire (1784-1792), in which he compiled the first animal census for our state.

In 1792 he wrote “A Discourse Intended to Commemorate the Discovery of America by Columbus” about Christopher Columbus (possibly he was the first American do to so). He also wrote “American Biography.” In 1792 he wrote, “The Foresters, An American Tale.” In 1795 he wrote “Sacred Poetry.” In 1794 he was one of the founders of the Massachusetts Historical Society, the first such society in the United States. William Cullen Bryant, the poet and editor, said that Belknap possessed “the high merit of being the first to make American history attractive.”

In January of 1785 Rev. Belknap received a letter from George Washington, thanking him for the receipt of the first volume of history of New Hampshire. In 1784 he was elected to the American Philosophical Society, and in 1786 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1792 he was an overseer of Harvard College.

1861 - Born: Charles M. Floyd, the sixtieth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Derry, New Hampshire on June 5, 1861.

His education was attained at the Pinkerton Academy. Floyd became a successful businessman with holdings in retail sales, as well as in the banking and commodities industries. He first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate, a position held from 1899 to 1901. He also served as a member of the Executive Council from 1905 to 1907. Floyd next secured the 1906 Republican gubernatorial nomination.

After a close popular election, the legislature named Floyd the official governor. During his tenure, a state tax commission was initiated; prison reform measures were enacted; state roads continued to progress; and free legislative railroad passes were eliminated. After completing his term, Floyd presided over the 1912 Republican National Convention.

He also served during World War I as the state fuel administrator; and chaired the state tax commission from 1921 to 1923. Governor Charles M. Floyd passed away on February 3, 1923 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Major John Sullivan's letter to Governor Wentworth June 8, 1775

1783 - Born: Samuel Cushman in Portsmouth NH. Samuel attended the common schools; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Portsmouth

He served as judge of the Portsmouth police court; county treasurer 1823-1828; member of the State house of representatives 1833-1835; nominated by President Jackson to be United States attorney for the district of New Hampshire but was not confirmed.

Elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-fourth Congress and reelected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1835-March 3, 1839); chairman, Committee on Commerce (Twenty-fifth Congress); United States Navy officer at Portsmouth 1845-1849; died in Portsmouth, N.H., on May 20, 1851; interment in Proprietors' Burying Ground.

1839 - Born: Cyrus Adams Sulloway, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Grafton, Grafton County, N.H., June 8, 1839; attended the common schools, Colby Academy, and Kimball Academy; studied law in Franklin, N.H.

He was admitted to the bar in 1863 and commenced practice in Manchester, N.H.; member of the State house of representatives in 1872, 1873, and 1887-1893; elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth and to the eight succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1895-March 3, 1913); chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Justice (Fifty-fifth Congress), Committee on Invalid Pensions (Fifty-sixth through Sixty-second Congresses)

Unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1912 to the Sixty-third Congress; elected to the Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth Congresses and served from March 4, 1915, until his death in Washington, D.C., March 11, 1917; interment in the City Cemetery, Franklin, N.H.

Cyrus Adams Sulloway, NH State House Portrait

Cyrus Adams Sulloway, NH State House Portrait Plate

1785: Born - Sylvanus Thayer - Superintendent of West Point and an officer during the War of 1812. Donated money to create the Thayer Scool of Engineering at Dartmouth College.

Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer (June 9, 1785 – September 7, 1872) also known as "the Father of West Point" was an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point and an early advocate of engineering education in the United States. Early Life and Education Sylvanus Thayer (9 June 1785-7 Sept. 1872) was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, the son of farmer Nathaniel Thayer and his wife Dorcas Faxon.

In 1793, at the age of 8, Thayer was sent to live with his uncle Azariah Faxon and attend school in Washington, New Hampshire. There he met General Benjamin Pierce, who, like Faxon, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. In 1803 Thayer matriculated at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1807 as valedictorian of his class. Thayer, however, never gave the valedictory address at Dartmouth, having been granted an appointment to West Point by President Thomas Jefferson at the behest of General Pierce. Thayer graduated from the United States Military Academy after a single year, and received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1808. His first assignment was supervising the construction of Fort Warren (later renamed Fort Winthrop) in Boston Harbor, foreshadowing the bulk of his later career.[3] During the War of 1812, Thayer directed the fortification and defense of Norfolk, Virginia, and was promoted to major. In 1815, Thayer was provided $5,000 to travel to Europe, where he studied for two years at the French École Polytechnique. While traveling in Europe he amassed a collection of science and especially mathematics texts that now form a valuable collection for historians of mathematics.

Superintendent of West Point In 1817, President James Monroe ordered Thayer to West Point to become superintendent of the Military Academy following the resignation of Captain Alden Partridge. Under his stewardship, the Academy became the nation's first college of engineering. While at West Point Thayer established numerous traditions and policies which are still in use at West Point. These include the values of honor and responsibility, strict mental and physical discipline, the demerit system, summer encampment, high academic standards and the requirement that cadets maintain outstanding military bearing and appearance at all times. Many of the cadets who attended West Point during Thayer's tenure, held key leadership positions during the Mexican War and American Civil War. Later career Colonel Thayer's time at West Point ended with his resignation in 1833, after a disagreement with President Andrew Jackson. He was elected an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1834.

Thayer returned to duty with the Army Corps of Engineers. Thayer spent the great majority of the next 30 years as the chief engineer for the Boston area. During this time he oversaw the construction of both Fort Warren and Fort Independence to defend Boston Harbor. Thayer's great engineering ability can be observed in both of the above-mentioned forts. Thayer retired from the Army on June 1, 1863 with the rank of colonel in the Corps of Engineers. Death and legacy As a result of Thayer's enduring legacy at the United States Military Academy, in 1869 a meeting took place in Braintree between Thayer and the West Point graduate and Civil War hero Brigadier General Robert Anderson. An outcome of Anderson's 1869 meeting with Thayer was the establishment of the Military Academy's Association of Graduates (AoG). In 1867, Thayer donated $40,000 to the trustees of Dartmouth College to create the Thayer School of Engineering. Thayer personally located and recommended USMA graduate Lieutenant Robert Fletcher to Dartmouth president Asa Dodge Smith. Fletcher became the school's first—then only—professor and dean. The Thayer School admitted its first three students to a graduate program in 1871. Also in 1871 at the bequest of his will Thayer Academy in Braintree, Massachusetts was conceived. It opened September 12, 1877. Thayer died on September 7, 1872 at his home in Braintree. He was reinterred at West Point Cemetery in 1877. Thayer's obituary appeared in the New York Times on September 8, 1872.

1772 - Born: David L. Morril - in Epping New Hampshire. Represented New Hampshire in the US Senate from 1817 - 1823. Governor of New Hampshire from 1824 - 1827.

David Morril was taught by his grandfather and later attended Exeter Academy, Exeter, N.H.; studied medicine and engaged in practice in Epsom, N.H., 1793-1800; studied theology; was ordained; pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Goffstown 1802-1811; resumed the practice of medicine; member, State house of representatives 1808-1817, and served as speaker in 1816.

Elected as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1817, to March 3, 1823; was not a candidate for renomination; member and president, State senate 1823-1824.

Governor of New Hampshire 1824-1827; moved to Concord in 1831; edited the New Hampshire Observer 1831-1833; died in Concord, N.H., January 28, 1849; interment in Old North Cemetery.

1811 - Born : Joseph Albree Gilmore - The thirty-seventh governor of New Hampshire, was born in Weston, Vermont on June 10, 1811.

His education was attained in the commons schools of his native state. After working in the mercantile industry in Boston, Gilmore moved to Concord, New Hampshire, where he established a successful wholesale grocery business. He also became involved with the Concord and Claremont Railroad, serving first as a construction agent, and later as the railroad superintendent.

Gilmore first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate, a position he held from 1858 to 1860, and from which he also served as senate president in 1859. He next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1863.

He was reelected to a second term in 1864. During his tenure, most of his efforts were consumed by the war; and a loan was secured that provided payments to soldiers, as well as for the transporting of soldiers on furloughs.

After completing his term, Gilmore retired from political life. Governor Joseph A. Gilmore passed away on April 7, 1867, and was buried in the Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1846 - Born: Henry Brewer Quinby. Born in Biddeford Maine, Governor of New Hampshire from 1909 - 1911.

The sixty-first governor of New Hampshire, was born in Biddeford, Maine on June 10, 1846.

His education was attained at Bowdoin College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1869, as well as a master's degree in 1872. He later attended the National Medical College in Washington, D.C., where he received his medical degree in 1880. Quinby first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1887 to 1889.

He also served as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1889 to 1891; was a member of the Executive Council from 1891 to 1893; served as a delegate to the 1893 Republican National Convention, and was chairman to the 1896 State Republican Convention. Quinby next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1908.

During his tenure, the state National Guard was restructured; facilities at the state hospital and state prison were improved; the Keene State College was established; and the state house was refurbished. After leaving the governorship, Quinby retired from politics. He continued to stay active, serving on the board of several civic organizations. Governor Henry B. Quinby passed away on February 8, 1924 in New York City.

1920 - Born: James Colgate Cleveland, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Montclair, Essex County, N.J., June 13, 1920

James attended public schools and Deerfield Academy; graduated from Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y., in 1941, and from Yale Law School in 1948; enlisted in United States Army in December 1941 and served forty months overseas in the Pacific in the Fortieth Infantry Division and was discharged as a captain of Field Artillery, February 1946; was recalled to oversea duty in the Korean conflict from June 1951 to November 1952; awarded the Bronze Star for valor; after graduation from Yale in 1948 served briefly in the office of Senator Styles Bridges.

Hewas admitted to the bar in 1948 and began the practice of law in Concord and New London, N.H., in January 1949; organizer, incorporator, officer, and director of New London Trust Co.; member of the State senate, 1950-1962, and twice served as majority floor leader; elected as a Republican to the Eighty-eighth and to the eight succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1963-January 3, 1981); was not a candidate for reelection in 1980 to the Ninety-seventh Congress; died December 3, 1995.

New Hampshire Declaration of Independence

1713: Born - Meshech Weare - The first governor (then called president) of New Hampshire, was born in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire on June 16, 1713.

His education was attained at Harvard University, where he graduated in 1735. He studied law, and then established his legal career. Weare first entered politics as town moderator, a position he was elected to in 1739. He served as a member of the State House of Representatives, as well as serving three times as speaker and eight years as clerk. He also served as a delegate to the 1754 Albany Congress. After independence from England was declared, Weare served as the first president of New Hampshire. He was reelected to a one-year term in 1784.

Weare also held dual roles as chief justice of the Superior Court, serving from 1776 to 1782; and was the presiding officer of the Governor's Council from 1776 to 1784. Because of his outstanding leadership, he was often referred to as "the father of his state." After completing his final term on June 1, 1785, Weare retired from public service. Governor Meshech Weare passed away in Hampton Falls on January 14. 1786.

1782 - Born: Nehemiah Eastman, (uncle of Ira Allen Eastman), a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Gilmanton, Belknap County, N.H., June 16, 1782.

Heattended the local academy in Gilmanton; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1807 and practiced in Farmington, N.H.; member of the State house of representatives in 1813; served in the State senate 1820-1825; elected as an Adams candidate to the Nineteenth Congress (March 4, 1825-March 3, 1827); resumed the practice of law; died in Farmington, N.H., January 11, 1856; interment in Farmington Cemetery.

Bartlett NH - Carroll County Incorporated June 16, 1790

Portsmouth Annals - Solar Eclipse June 16, 1806

Gilford New Hampshire, Belknap County, Incorporated June 16, 1812

Freedom New Hampshire, Carroll County, Incorporated June 16, 1831

Northfield Merrimack County Incorporated June 19, 1780

1945: Born - Jedediah C Barker (Franklin New Hampshire), Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor

Jedh Barker was born on June 20, 1945, in Franklin, New Hampshire. At the age of six, he moved with his parents to Park Ridge, New Jersey, where he graduated from grammar school in 1960, and from Park Ridge High School in 1964, where he was captain of the football and baseball teams.

He attended Fairleigh Dickinson University, East Rutherford, New Jersey, and then Northeast Missouri State Teachers College in Kirksville, Missouri until May 1966. While at Northeast, he was a member of the Bulldogs football team. On June 20, 1966, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He was a member of the Special Volunteer Reserve, 1st Marine Corps District, New York, New York, until discharged to enlist in the regular Marine Corps on October 5, 1966. After completion of recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, in December 1966, he underwent individual combat training and weapons special training with the 2nd Infantry Training Battalion, 1st Infantry Training Regiment, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was promoted to private first class, December 1, 1966, while undergoing individual combat training. In March 1967, PFC Barker joined Marine Air Base Squadron 21, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, San Francisco, California, and served as group guard until the following June when he was reassigned to Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, in the Republic of Vietnam.

He was promoted to Lance Corporal on September 1, 1967. On the morning of September 21, 1967, during Operation Kingfisher southeast of Con Thien near Phu Oc, the Battalion was ambushed by the 90th regiment of the 324B Division. Lance Corporal Barker was killed in action during this engagement. The Medal of Honor was presented to Barker's family by Vice President Spiro Agnew in ceremonies held on October 31, 1969.[3] Lance Corporal Barker was buried at the George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a machine gunner with Company F. During a reconnaissance operation L/Cpl. Barker's squad was suddenly hit by enemy sniper fire. The squad immediately deployed to a combat formation and advanced to a strongly fortified enemy position, when it was again struck by small arms and automatic weapons fire, sustaining numerous casualties.

Although wounded by the initial burst of fire, L/Cpl. Barker boldly remained in the open, delivering a devastating volume of accurate fire on the numerically superior force. The enemy was intent upon annihilating the small marine force and, realizing that L/Cpl. Barker was a threat to their position, directed the preponderance of their fire on his position. He was again wounded, this time in the right hand, which prevented him from operating his vitally needed machine gun. Suddenly and without warning, an enemy grenade landed in the midst of the few surviving marines.

Unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his personal safety, L/Cpl. Barker threw himself upon the deadly grenade, absorbing with his body the full and tremendous force of the explosion. In a final act of bravery, he crawled to the side of a wounded comrade and administered first aid before succumbing to his grievous wounds. His bold initiative, intrepid fighting spirit and unwavering undoubtedly saved his comrades from further injury or possible death and reflected great credit upon himself, the Marine Corps, and the U.S. Naval service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

1781: Born - Matthew Harvey : (brother of Jonathan Harvey), a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Sutton, Merrimack County, N.H., June 21, 1781.

Matthew studied under private tutors; graduated from Dartmouth College in 1806; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Hopkinton, N.H., in 1809; served in the State house of representatives 1814-1820 and as speaker three terms.

He waselected as a Republican to the Seventeenth Congress and reelected as an Adams-Clay Republican to the Eighteenth Congress (March 4, 1821-March 3, 1825); member of the State senate 1825-1827 and served as its president; member of the executive council 1828 and 1829; Governor of New Hampshire in 1830; appointed by President Jackson judge of the United States District Court for New Hampshire in 1831 and served until his death in Concord, N.H., April 7, 1866; interment in Old North Cemetery.

1787: Born - Joseph Morrill Harper: a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Limerick, York County, Maine, June 21, 1787.

He attended the district school and the Fryeburg Academy; studied medicine; commenced practice in Sanbornton, N.H., in 1810; moved to Canterbury, N.H., in 1811 and continued the practice of medicine; served as assistant surgeon in the Fourth Infantry in the War of 1812; member of the State house of representatives in 1826 and 1827; justice of the peace in Canterbury 1826-1865; served in the State senate in 1829 and 1830, the last year as president of the senate and as ex officio Governor from February until June 1831.

He waselected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-second and Twenty-third Congresses (March 4, 1831-March 3, 1835); resumed the practice of medicine; justice of the peace and quorum in the State 1835-1865; president of Mechanics’ Bank of Concord 1847-1856; died in Canterbury, N.H., January 15, 1865; interment in the Village Cemetery.

1946: Born - Stephen Merrill - Governor of New Hampshire in Hampton New Hampshire

STEPHEN MERRILL was raised in the seacoast town of Hampton, New Hampshire. In 1969 he earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of New Hampshire (UNH), where he was a Ford Foundation scholar; he was the first governor of the state to graduate from UNH.

He received a law degree from Georgetown University Law School in 1972. He was in the U.S. Air Force from 1969 to 1976, serving as civilian aide to the secretary of the U.S. Army for the final two years. He served as the state attorney general from 1984 to 1989. He was elected governor in November 1992 and reelected in 1994.

September 5, 2020: Former Gov. Stephen E. Merrill, a fiscally conservative staunch opponent of broad based taxes and a family man known as much for his sense of humor as his adherence to Republican principles, has died at the age of 74, his family and Gov. Chris Sununu announced Saturday evening.

Merrill was elected the state's 77th governor in 1992 and was reelected in 1994 after serving as New Hampshire attorney general and earlier, as legal counsel and chief of staff to former Gov. John H. Sununu.

Merrill was known for his tough conservatism but also for his affable demeanor and exuberant personality.

A statement was issued by the Merrill family:

"With regret, we share the news with the State of New Hampshire that former Attorney General and Governor Stephen Merrill passed away peacefully at his home with his family today. Additional information about remembrance services will be forthcoming. We ask that you please respect the privacy of our family at this difficult time."

Gov. Chris Sununu, who was a youngster when Merrill served in his father's administration, said:

"Governor Steve Merrill was a dear friend who had an incredibly positive impact on the citizens of our state. He will be missed by everyone who knew him."

Merrill was a native of Norwich, Connecticut but came to New Hampshire at an early age. He was a graduate of Winnicunnet High School in Hampton and the University of New Hampshire, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.

Merrill served in the U.S. Air Force as a lawyer from 1972 to 1976 and was legal counsel to the Secretary of the Air Force.

After practicing law in Manchester from 1976 to 1984, Merrill became legal counsel and later chief of staff to the elder Sununu before serving as attorney general.

He succeeded Judd Gregg as governor when Gregg won election to the U.S. Senate. Merrill defeated broad based tax advocate former state Rep. Arnie Arnesen, and was he reelected in 1994, defeating former state Sen. Wayne King. After two terms, he returned to private life.

Merrill during his years as governor held the line against spending but also was a defendant in the Claremont school funding lawsuit. In opposing broad based taxes and advocating for smaller government and fewer regulation, he coined the phrase, "New Hampshire Advantage."

Republicans today, including the current Gov. Sununu, still use that phrase often as a mantra to describe their support for lower taxes and smaller government.

Merrill was twice named “the most fiscally conservative governor” in the United States by the Wall Street Journal and the Cato Institute. Merrill was also active as an advocate for the Daniel Webster Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

While governor, Merrill joined with fellow Republican and Democrats leaders to protect the first-in-the-nation status of the New Hampshire presidential primary against a threat by Delaware officials to encroach on the primary's first-by-a-week status. In 1995, he drew national headlines by backing former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole for president.

Dole fell a percentage point short in his New Hampshire primary bid to conservative firebrand Patrick J. Buchanan but went on to win the 1996 Republican presidential nomination.

After leaving office in 1996, Merrill tried his hand at national politics, running for chairman of the Republican National Committee. He competed for several ballots in that voting, but eventually withdrew and the chairmanship went to Jim Nicholson of Colorado, who later became Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Merrill later became chair of the prominent Boston-based Bingham Consulting firm.

A Manchester resident, Stephen Merrill is survived by his wife, Heather, and two sons, Stephen and Ian.

The elder Sununu said he was saddened to learn of Merrill’s passing.

“He was a nice man and a smart man," said Sununu, who called Merrill "a dear friend."

"He did a good job for the state and a wonderful job for me as my legal counsel. He had never been involved in politics. I met him through the campaign, and in an out-of-the-box move, I invited him to come in to my office as legal counsel, and later nominated him as attorney general."

“I’m a conservative Republican and he was a conservative Republican and we both worked to make sure that New Hampshire stayed New Hampshire,” Sununu said. “And he was fun to be around. We always had a good time.

“Steve was able to keep his eye on the objective and still have a good time going from Point A to Point B, and he was able to succeed.”

Merrill, after serving as attorney general and before being elected governor, partnered in a law firm with Democrat John Broderick. The two were friends for more than four decades.

When Merrill became governor, he received some criticism from conservative Republicans for naming Broderick as an associate justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court because Broderick was from the opposing party. But Merrill was unfazed.

Later, in 2004, Broderick was named chief justice by another Republican governor, Craig Benson.

An emotional Broderick told WMUR on Saturday night, “Steve Merrill’s life was a testament to his commitment to something larger than himself. He was political – he was very good at what he did, but he wasn’t ‘sharp-edge’ political."

Broderick said that people would ask him how he and Republican Merrill could get along while on opposite sides of the political aisle.

“And I’d say I love Steve Merrill. It wasn’t about what issue he felt strongly about or what issue I felt strongly about. I admired his character.

“He was a talented politician, a gifted lawyer and he was a wonderful friend,” Broderick said. “He knew how to do that well, too.”

Another Democrat who was a friend of Merrill is veteran state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro of Manchester.

“It’s a terrible loss,” D’Allesandro said. “He was a young man in today’s world, a wonderful attorney and did a lot of good things for the state of New Hampshire.

“He loved the state, a resident of Manchester, a UNH guy, which is very, very important. It’s a great loss to the state at a very early age when there was so much more to do and so much more to give to the people of the state. He’ll be greatly missed.”

Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who also served as attorney general before being elected to the Senate in 2010, said in a statement, “I am so sad about the passing of my friend and mentor Governor Steve Merrill.

“New Hampshire has lost of one its best, a great leader and extraordinary person. I will miss Steve’s brilliance, his way with words and wonderful sense of humor. My thoughts and prayers are with Heather, Ian and Stephen.”

The state Republican Party said in a statement:

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of former New Hampshire Governor Steve Merrill, whose dedication to New Hampshire was exemplified through his public service as our state’s Attorney General and our 77th Governor. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Merrill family at this time."

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley added his tribute.

"Condolences to former First Lady Heather Merrill and family in the passing of former Governor Merrill," Buckley said. "As a legislator, I worked closely with him on several issues. He was always fair and kept his word. And nobody had a better smile than Steve Merrill."

Bryant "Corky" Messner called Merrill "a true public servant, and his passing is a profound loss for those who knew him personally, professionally and politically. He was a man of integrity, a true conservative who never wavered in his beliefs.

"He is credited with creating the phrase 'New Hampshire Advantage' -- a reference to our lack of sales and income taxes -- and believed, as I do, in less government, individual liberty and economic freedom. My prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time."

1764: The New Hampshire Town of Poplin was Incorporated, Changed to Fremont in 1854.

Fremont was originally part of the historic township of Exeter, NH from 1638 until 1742. Exeter is one of the oldest towns in America and Fremont made up part of its western boundary until 1742. Brentwood was separated from Exeter and incorporated as a town in 1742 taking the entire southwestern section of old Exeter that included what is now Fremont. On June 22, 1764 the western half of Brentwood was separated and incorporated as the new Parish of POPLIN.- now Fremont. The origin of the name Poplin is unknown - but it did NOT take its name from an old English mill town outside London called Poplar as erroneously reported in a New Hampshire history book.

There was never a Poplin, England, Ireland, or Scotland. Because Poplin had failed to build a meeting house and settle a Congregationalist minister shortly after being incorporated in 1764, Daniel Brown and twenty-one families living in the southern part of Poplin petitioned to separate for religious purposes only to the neighboring town of Hawke - now Danville, N.H. This was approved by the NH legislature which allowed these families to pay ministerial taxes to Hawke, but still remain geographically a part of Poplin. Because Hawke's minister died in 1782, and that town failed to settle another minister, nothing actually became of this new and unique religious arrangement between the two towns. Poplin was highly unusual in that it took 36 long years to finally build its first Meeting House in 1800, and was the only town in southeastern New Hampshire to never actually settle a minister of the "Standing Order" that being the Congregationalist denomination - at taxpayer expense before the Toleration Act was passed in 1819.

The historic Fremont 1800 Twin-Porch Meeting House remains one of only two twin-porch meeting houses in the United States. The other is in Rockingham, VT. The name of the town was changed on July 8, 1854 to FREMONT in honor of the famous American West Patrhfinder - John Charles Fremont (1813-1890). In 1856 John C. Fremont would become the first Republican Presidential candidate of the newly founded Republican Party only to lose to Democratic candidate James Buchanan. John C. Fremont was not a native, nor a resident of Fremont, N.H.

The first settlers of old Poplin came during the 1720's and early 1730's. Mills were built along the Exeter River and the new township gradually grew to over 550 residents by 1775. In 1774 four barrels of captured gunpowder from Fort William & Mary in New Castle, NH were brought for safekeeping in Poplin and later supposedly used at the Battle of Bunker (Breed's) Hill on June 17, 1775. During the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) Poplin furnished 109 soldiers in the War for American Independence with many participating in most of the major battles of the Revolution.

Mrs. Joseph Huntoon and son Amos, both of Poplin, had the distinction of bringing the first news of British General Lord Cornwallis' Surrender to General George Washington after the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia on October 19th, 1781. While visiting Portsmouth, N.H. they heard this wonderful news and wishing to share the good news with their fellow Poplin residents, they rushed back to Poplin during the early morning hours of October 28, 1781 to bring this happy news. Most likely there was a great bonfire and celebration on the streets of Poplin that morning.

1842 - Born: John J. Nolan - Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient.

He served as a Second Lieutenant in the Union Army. He was awarded the Medal of Honor as a Sergeant in Company K, 8th New Hampshire Infantry for action on October 27, 1862 at Georgia Landing, Louisiana.

His citation reads "Although prostrated by a cannon shot, refused to give up the flag which he was carrying as color bearer of his regiment and continued to carry it at the head of the regiment throughout the engagement."

1759 - Born: US Senator and NH Governor William Plumer

William Plumer, the eleventh and thirteenth governor to serve New Hampshire, was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on June 25, 1759.

His early education was attained at the Newburyport South Writing School. He later studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1787, and then established his legal career in Epping, New Hampshire. Plumer first entered politics as selectman of Epping, a position he held in 1783. He served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1785 to 1786, 1788, 1790 to 1791, and 1797 to 1800, serving as speaker in 1791 and 1797.

He also served as a member of the 1791 and 1792 State Constitutional Conventions; was a member of the U.S. Senate from 1802 to 1807; and served as a member and president of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1810 to 1811. Plumer next won election to the governorship, and was sworn into office on June 5, 1812. He lost his reelection bids in 1813, 1814, and 1815, but was successful in his 1816 campaign.

During his tenure, the penal code was amended; construction was initiated on a new state prison; war issues were dealt with; modifications to the Dartmouth College charter were addressed; and the state judicial system was reorganized. After leaving the governorship, Plumer served as an 1820 presidential elector and cast the sole vote opposing the James Monroe-Tompkins renomination ticket.

Plumer then retired from politics, but stayed active, establishing a successful literary career, as well as playing an instrumental part in the founding of the New Hampshire Historical Society. Governor William Plumer passed away on December 22, 1850, and was buried in the family graveyard on his estate near Epping, New Hampshire.

1741 - Born: NH Governor John Langdon

John Langdon, a four-term governor (then called president) of New Hampshire, was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on June 26, 1741. His education was limited and attained at the Hale Latin Grammar School. Before entering into politics, he worked as a sea captain and merchant.

Langdon favored independence from England and took an active part it the revolutionary movement. He participated in the capture of Fort William and Mary, as well as in the marches on Bennington and Rhode Island. Langdon first entered politics as a member of the House of Representatives of the last Royal Assembly of New Hampshire. He served as a member of the Continental Congress in 1775 and 1776, and was the state naval agent in the 1778 Congress. He also served as a member and speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, 1776 to 1782 and 1786 to 1787, and was a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1784 to 1785.

Langdon was first elected president (governor) of New Hampshire in 1785, winning reelection in 1788, 1805, and 1810. Between his gubernatorial terms, he served as a delegate to the 1787 Federal Constitutional Convention, as well as serving again in the Continental Congress.

He also served as a member and president of the U.S. Senate from 1789 to 1801, and was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1801 to 1805. After declining an 1812 vice presidential nomination, Langdon retired from political life. Governor John Langdon passed away on September 18, 1819, and was buried in the Langdon tomb in the North Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Langdon also served as governor from June 6, 1810 to June 5, 1812

1766 - Born: Samuel Dinsmoor (Windham), The twenty-second governor of New Hampshire (1831 - 1834). Samuel was the father of New Hampshire Governor Samuel Jr., was born in Windham, New Hampshire on July 1, 1766.

His education was attained at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1789. After working as a teacher, Dinsmoor studied law, and then established his legal career in Keene, New Hampshire. He first entered politics as postmaster of Keene, a position he was appointed to in 1808. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1811 to 1813; was an 1820 presidential elector; and served as the state councilor in 1821.

He also was probate judge of Cheshire County from 1823 to 1831, and was a commission member that negotiated the boundary issue between Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1825. Dinsmoor next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1831. He was reelected to a second term in 1832, and to a third term in 1833. During his tenure, several new manufacturing businesses were incorporated; railroads were advanced; banks flourished; and the first free public library in the U.S. was established in Peterborough.

After leaving the governorship, Dinsmoor retired from political life. He then entered the private sector, serving as the president of the Ashuelot Bank in Keene. Governor Samuel Dinsmoor passed away on March 15, 1835, and was buried in the Washington Street Cemetery in Keene, New Hampshire.

Samuel Dinsmoor, NH State House Portrait

1872 - Born: Wesley Adams NH State Senate President 1923-1925. Born in Nelson NH then his family moved to Londonderry when he was a child.

Adams studied at local schools and worked as a blacksmith for five years. He started Wesley Adams Orchards near the center of Derry. The orchards produced apples, peaches and berries for many years. As a farmer, Adams was a member of the Londonderry Grange Number four. Adams rose through the ranks of the Grange, becoming the State Master in 1917, when he was also elected to the Executive Committee of the Grange.

He was chosen to be the new head of The Old Home Week Association beginning in 1920. In 1921, Adams was made director of the Grange Fire Insurance Company. As a farmer and a member of the Grange, Adams saw much rural poverty in New Hampshire during the 1920s.

As President of the Senate (1923 - 1925) he pushed for farm relief, and as a Senate representative (1931-1933, 1935-1937) he supported Governor Winant's State Relief Act and President Roosevelt's Federal Emergency Relief Act. When he died in 1943, Adams' work for the rural poor was eulogized on the floor of the State House of Representatives.

1939: Born - John H. Sununu - Governor of New Hampshire form 1983 - 1989 John Sununuwas born in Havana, Cuba. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He received his bachelor's degree in 1961, a master's degree in 1962, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 1966. He was a mechanical engineering professor at Tufts University from 1966 to 1968 and associate dean of the College of Engineering until 1973. From 1963 until his election as governor, he served as president of JHS Engineering Company and Thermal Research Inc. He represented Salem in the New Hampshire State Legislature from 1973-1974.

He became New Hampshire's 75th Chief Executive on January 6, 1983, and served three consecutive terms. Sununu served on the Advisory Board of the Technology and Policy Program at MIT from 1984-1989. On January 21, 1989, Governor Sununu was commissioned Chief of Staff to President George H. W. Bush, serving in the White House until March 1, 1992. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineers' Committee on Public Engineering Policy and has served as a member of the President's Council on Environmental Quality Advisory Committee.

Sununu chaired the National Governors Association, the Coalition of Northeastern Governors, and the Republican Governors Association. From 1992 until 1998, he co-hosted CNN's nightly Crossfire program, a news/public affairs discussion program. He is president of JHS Associates, Ltd. and a partner in Trinity International Partners, a private financial firm. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering

1804 - Born Charles Gordon Atherton : US Congressman and Senator

Charles Gordon Atherton, (son of Charles Humphrey Atherton), a Representative and a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Amherst, Hillsborough County, N.H., July 4, 1804; graduated from Harvard University in 1822; studied law.

He was admitted to the bar in 1825 and commenced practice in Dunstable (now Nashua), N.H.; member of the State house of representatives 1830 and 1833-1835, serving as speaker 1833-1835; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth and the two succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1837-March 3, 1843)

He did not seek reelection in 1842, having become a candidate for Senator; elected to the United States Senate as a Democrat in 1843, and served from March 4, 1843, to March 3, 1849; chairman, Committee on Printing (Twenty-ninth Congress), Committee on Roads and Canals (Twenty-ninth Congress), Committee on Finance (Thirtieth Congress.

Heresumed the practice of law in Nashua; again elected to the United States Senate in 1852 for the term beginning March 4, 1853, took the oath of office on March 4, 1853, and served until his death in Manchester, N.H., November 15, 1853; interment in Nashua Cemetery, Nashua, N.H.

Charles Gordon Atherton NH State House Portrait

1856: Born - William D Swart - Senate President.

Hon. William D. Swart, President of the Senate, was born in New Kingston, New York, July 9, 1856, son of William R. and Eliza (Dumond) Swart.

His ancestors on both sides came from Holland and were among the first European settlers of New York state, locating at and near Kingston on the Hudson River. His great-grandfather, son of Samuel Swart, lost his entire possessions at the time the British burned the city of Kingston, during the Revolutionary War, and his grandfather, Samuel Swart, served throughout the War of 1812 with honor and distinction. On the maternal side he traces his ancestry back nine generations to Walerandt Du Mont, who married in Kingston, January 13, 1664, Margaret Hendrick, and who was at that time serving on the staff of the Noble Lord Director, General Stuyvesant, in the Netherlandish service, stationed at Kingston, N. Y. William Dumond Swart was educated in the public schools of Margaretville and at the Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham, Mass., finishing at the age of eighteen. After leaving school, he was in the employ of Evans, Peak, & Co., of New York City, wholesale dry goods merchants, for five years; and with Bates, Reed and Cooley . in the same business, two years. In 1880, he engaged in the decorative art business which he carried on successfully in Newark, N. J., for seven years.

After spending two years in travel in this country, he located in Nashua, in this state, in February, 1890, going into the retail lumber business with Charles A. Roby, under the firm name of Roby & Swart. Two years later the firm purchased the edge tool works in the same city and added a wood working plant. In 1894 the retail business was consolidated with F. D. Cook & Co., Roby & Swart retaining the manufacturing and wholesale business under the name of Roby & Swart Manufacturing Co. Mr. Swart is a director in the former company and director and treasurer in the latter. He is also a director and president of the Nashua Machine Company; director and vice-president of the Nashua Trust Company; director and president of the Londonderry Spring Water Company; director and treasurer of Nashua Building Company; director and treasurer of the Nashua Paper Box Company; director and treasurer of the American Box & Lumber Company.

In 1893 to 1895, and again in 1907 and 1908 he was president of the Board of Trade. He was a member of the Common Council from 1893 to 1895, being president for two years. He was appointed aide with the rank of colonel on Governor Ramsdell's staff in 1897. He is a Congregationalist in religion; a thirty-second degree Mason and a member of Rising Sun Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, Aaron P. Hughes Council, St. George Chapter, and Commandery of the E. A. Raymond Consistory and of the Aaron P. Hughes Lodge of Perfection Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rites, also a member of Bektash Temple, order of the Mystic Shrine. In politics, Mr. Swart has always been a Republican, and has filled various offices in the Nashua city government. He was elected from Ward 1 as Representative to the General Court for 1909-10, serving as a member of the Committee on Banks and as chairman of the Committee on State Prison, and as Senator from the nineteenth district for 1911-12, of which honorable body he was chosen president.

He married October 7, 1890, Lizzie A., daughter of Luther A. Roby of Nashua. They have two children, Elizabeth and William Roby Swart. President Swart demonstrated his absolute independence of partisan bias so far as the administration of his office is concerned, by assigning each of the eight Democratic Senators to a committee chairmanship at the opening of the session, and in pre siding over the deliberations of the Senate his action has invariably been characterized by courtesy, fairness and impartiality.

1820: Born - Jacob Hart Ela, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Rochester, N.H., July 18, 1820.

He attended the village school in Rochester; at fourteen years of age was apprenticed in a woolen manufactory and subsequently learned the printer’s trade; member of the State house of representatives in 1857 and 1858; United States marshal from July 1861 to October 1866.

He waselected as a Republican to the Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses (March 4, 1867-March 3, 1871); chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Interior (Forty-first Congress); appointed by President Grant as Fifth Auditor of the Treasury on January 1, 1872, and served until June 2, 1881; on June 3, 1881, was appointed Auditor of the Treasury for the Post Office Department and served in that position until his death in Washington, D.C., on August 21, 1884; interment in North Side Cemetery, Rochester, N.H.

Jacob Hart Ela, Rochester NH July 18, 1820

1853 - Albert O. Brown, the sixty-seventh governor of New Hampshire, was born in Northwood, New Hampshire on July 18, 1853.

His education was attained at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1878, and at Boston University, where he earned a law degree in 1884. Brown established a successful legal career, serving as the New Hampshire special counsel that represented the state in the Supreme Court railroad tax appeal case. He first entered politics as chairman of the State Tax Commission, a position he held from 1911 to 1921.

He also presided over the State Constitutional Convention from 1918 to 1921. Brown next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1920. During his tenure, the state deficit was reduced; taxes were cut; and the state highway system was improved.

After declining to run for a second term, Brown served as a delegate-at-large to the 1924 Republican National Convention. He also served as a member of the New Hampshire General Court from 1925 to 1926, as well as serving as a trustee for Dartmouth College. Governor Albert O. Brown passed away on March 28, 1937 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

1765: Born - John Bell, the eighteenth governor of New Hampshire and father of New Hampshire Governor Charles H. Bell, was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire on July 20, 1765.

His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. Bell first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1799 to 1800. He also was a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1803 to 1804; served as councilor from 1817 to 1823; and was the Rockingham County sheriff from 1823 to 1828.

Bell next secured the National Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1828. During his tenure, the Exeter Savings Bank was chartered; new farming methods were endorsed; several new schools were founded; and manufacturing within the state was increased.

After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Bell retired from public service. He continued to stay active in his farming interests. Governor John Bell passed away on March 22, 1836, and was buried in the Village Cemetery in Chester, New Hampshire.

1769 - Born: Daniel Meserve Durell, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Lee, N.H., July 20, 1769; was graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.

in 1794 he studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1797 and commenced practice in Dover, N.H.; elected as a Republican to the Tenth Congress (March 4, 1807-March 3, 1809); member of the State house of representatives in 1816; chief justice of the district court of common pleas 1816-1821.

United States attorney for the district of New Hampshire 1830-1834; resumed the practice of law; died in Dover, Strafford County, N.H., April 29, 1841; interment in Pine Hill Cemetery.

1798: Born - DIX, John Adams Dix, (son-in-law of John Jordan Morgan), a Senator from New York; born in Boscawen, N.H., July 24, 1798;

John completed preparatory studies; during the War of 1812 was appointed a cadet, promoted to ensign, and took part in the operations on the Canadian frontier; served in the United States Army until 1828, having attained the rank of captain; studied law and was admitted to the bar in Washington, D.C.

He settled in Cooperstown, N.Y., and began the practice of law; moved to Albany in 1830, having been appointed adjutant general of the State and served from 1831 to 1833; canal commissioner; member, State assembly 1842; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Silas Wright, Jr., and served from January 27, 1845, to March 3, 1849.

He was not a candidate for reelection, having become a candidate for Governor; chairman, Committee on Pensions (Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Congresses), Committee on Commerce (Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth Congresses); unsuccessful Free-Soil candidate for Governor in 1848.

Assistant Treasurer of the United States at New York 1853; appointed postmaster of the city of New York 1860-1861; appointed Secretary of the Treasury by President James Buchanan 1861; served in the Union Army as major general 1861-1865; United States Minister to France 1866-1869; Governor of New York 1873-1875.

Unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 and for election as mayor of New York City in 1876.

Died in New York City, April 21, 1879; interment in Trinity Cemetery.

1801 - Born - Noah Martin in Epsom NH - Governor of New Hampshire 1852-1854

Noah Martin, the thirty-first governor of New Hampshire, was born in Epsom, New Hampshire on July 26, 1801.

His education was attained at Dartmouth College, where he earned a medical degree in 1824. He then established medical practices in Pembroke and Great Falls, eventually settling in Dover, where he played an instrumental part in the founding of the Dover Medical Association.

Martin first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he won election to in 1830, 1832 and 1837. He was also elected to the State Senate in 1835 and 1836. Martin next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1852.

He was reelected to a second term in 1853. During his tenure, railroad reform measures were lobbied for; the national fugitive slave law was endorsed; the state’s economy flourished; and the initiation of a state agricultural commission was promoted. After leaving the governorship, Martin retired from political life. He returned to his medical practice, as well as becoming involved in civic affairs. Governor Noah Martin passed away in Dover on May 28, 1863.

Noah Martin NH State House Portrait Plate

1832 : Born - Medal of Honor recipient Richard Napoleon Batchelder was born in Laconia New Hampshire on July 7, 1832. At the beginning of the Civil War he was appointed as 1st Lieutenant and Regimental Quartermaster for the 1st New Hampshire Infantry on May 2, 1861.

He then was appointed Quartermaster of the 7th Brigade, A

rmy of the Shenandoah, (July 1861 - August 1861); Captain and Assistant Quartermaster of Volunteers, August 1861; Chief Quartermaster Corps of Observation, Poolesville, Maryland (August 1861- March 1862) and was present during the battle of Ball's Bluff. He then became Chief Quartermaster 2d Division, 2d Corps, Army of the Potomac (March 1862-January 1863) where he participated in the battles of Fair Oaks, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.

Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Chief Quartermaster 2d Corps, Army of the Potomac (January 1863-June 1864) and participated in the battles of Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor. While serving in this position he distinguished himself during actions against Confederate raiders between Catlett and Fairfax, Virginia, October 13-15, 1863. He moved his supply wagon trains by continuous day-and-night marches without the customary escorts. He armed his teamsters and fought off repeated attacks from Mosby's Rangers, bringing them through without loss of a single wagon. In 1895 he was awarded the Medal of Honor for these actions. He became Acting Chief Quartermaster of the Army of the Potomac (June - August 1964).

Promoted to Colonel he assumed duties as Quartermaster of the Army of the Potomac until it was mustered out in June 1865, during this time he was involved in the siege of Petersburg and capitulation of Confederate forces at Appamattox. Promotions: He received brevet ranks of Lieutenant Colonel to Brigadier General in the Volunteers and Colonel of the Regular Army for faithful and meritorious services during the War. He reverted to the regular Army rank of Captain assumed the positions of Assistant Quartermaster U.S. Army at the end of the war. He served as Chief Quartermaster of the Military Division of the Atlantic in Philadelphia (February-October 1865); Chief Quartermaster Department of Kentucky (October 1865-January 1867)

He was promoted to Major on January 18, 1867 and assumed duties as Chief Quartermaster Depot of Jeffersonville, Indiana (January 1867-January 1868). He moved to New Orleans as the Depot Quartermaster (January-September 1868). General Batchelder served as Chief Quartermaster , 5th District, Jackson, Mississippi (1868-70); Assistant to the Depot Commander at New York City (1870-73); Chief Quartermaster Department of Columbia, Portland, Oregon (1873-77); in the Quartermaster General's Office (1877-1878); as Depot Quartermaster at San Francisco, California (1878-1882) and in the Quartermaster's Department as director of General Depots and National Cemeteries (April-June 1882).

He was appointed as Brigadier General and Quartermaster General on June 26, 1890 serving until July 27, 1896 when he retired. The Quartermaster Branch Insignia was designed at the direction of General Batchelder. General Batchelder was inducted into the Quartermaster Hall of Fame in 1990.

General Richard Batchelder NH State Library Portrait

1829 :Born - Chester Pike, a prominent citizen of Sullivan County, New Hampshire, residing in Cornish, his native town, was born July 30, 1829, son of Ebenezer and Judith (Bryant) Pike.

On both his father's and his mother's side he is descended from distinguished ancestry, and from families that have been conspicuous, not only in the history of New Hampshire, but in the history of the nation. His grandfather Pike was born in Newbury, Mass., and came to Cornish in early manhood, the first of the name to settle here.

He bought a farm and a mill on Blow-me-down Brook, and devoted himself to farming and to carrying on the mill. He married Mary Marcy, of Hartland, Vt.; and they had three children-Ebenezer, Chester (first), and Pliny. Chester, first, who never married, died in Northumberland when about thirty-five years of age. Pliny Pike was a farmer of Cornish, and died in that town at the age of seventy years on November 29, 1897.

Chester Pike Senate President NH State House Portrait

1842: Born - Martin Alonzo Haynes, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Springfield, Sullivan County, N.H., July 30, 1842; moved with his parents to Manchester, N.H., in 1846.

He attended the common schools; apprenticed to the printer’s trade; enlisted in June 1861 in the Union Army as a private in the Second New Hampshire Regiment and served three years; moved to Lakeport, Belknap County, N.H., in 1868, where he established the Lake Village Times, which he conducted for twenty years; member of the State house of representatives in 1872 and 1873.

He became clerk of the supreme court for Belknap County 1876-1883; president of the New Hampshire Veterans’ Association in 1881 and 1882; department commander of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1881 and 1882; elected as a Republican to the Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses (March 4, 1883-March 3, 1887)

Unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1886 to the Fiftieth Congress; internal-revenue agent of the Treasury 1890-1893 and 1898-1912; established internal-revenue service in the Philippine Islands; died in Lakeport, N.H., November 28, 1919; interment in Bayside Cemetery.

1924 - Hugh J. Gallen was born July 30, 1924, in Portland, Oregon. When he was six, Gallen’s family moved to Medford, Massachusetts, where he attended local schools and graduated from Medford High School.

After graduation, Gallen had a successful tryout with the Washington Senators baseball team and played for one of their minor league teams for a year, but an arm injury ended his career. In 1948 he began work as an automobile salesman in Littleton, New Hampshire. Gallen stayed in Littleton and in 1964 he became full owner of an automobile dealership, Hugh Gallen, Inc. From 1962 to 1965, he served on the Littleton, New Hampshire, Planning Board.

In 1967, he was a member of the Small Business Administration’s New Hampshire Advisory Council and the National Advisory Council. He served as director and char of the New Hampshire-Vermont Development Council from 1969 to 1972, and from 1967 to 1970 as the director of White Mountain Community Services, a nonprofit agency established to provide mental health care. From 1971 to 1972, Gallen was Democratic state chairman, and he was a delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention.

In 1973 Gallen became the first Democrat to serve as a state representative for Littleton. He entered the 1978 Democratic Party primary for governor, won, and then won the general election because of a split in the Republican Party. Former governor Wesley Powell had declared as an Independent after losing the Republican primary to the incumbent governor, Meldrim Thomson; the split allowed Gallen to become governor.

In 1979 Governor Gallen called out the National Guard to protect Seabrook Power against anti-nuclear demonstrators. Gallen’s strong action won him reelection against Thomson in 1980, but a year later 9,200 state employees struck for higher wages. In negotiations Gallen agreed to a 9 percent raise; the Republican-controlled legislature would only agree to 6 percent. Gallen vetoed the state budget prepared by the Republicans, but he would not support a state sales tax or income tax to help pay for the contract he had negotiated with state workers.

He had no way to pay for the state employees’ contract. In 1982 Gallen ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, while John Sununu won the Republican primary for governor. During the campaign Gallen refused to pledge that he would not introduce a new sales tax or income tax to pay for the employees’ contract; this cost Gallen the election. Shortly after the election Gallen contracted a rare blood infection and he died of this December 29, 1982, eight days before the end of his term. Vesta Roy, president of the New Hampshire Senate, served as acting governor until John Sununu could be sworn in as the state’s new chief executive.

Governor Hugh Gallen NH State House Portrait

1810: - Born: Amos Tuck, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Parsonsfield, Maine, August 2, 1810.

He attended Effingham and Hampton Academies; was graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1835; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1838 and commenced practice in Exeter, N.H.; trustee of Dartmouth College; principal of Hampton Academy 1836-1838; member of the State house of representatives in 1842

Elected as an Independent to the Thirtieth Congress, as a Free-Soil candidate to the Thirty-first Congress, and as a Whig to the Thirty-second Congress (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1853); unsuccessful candidate for reelection; delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1856 and 1860.

Delegate to the peace convention held in Washington, D.C., in 1861 in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war; naval officer of the port of Boston 1861-1865; resumed the practice of law and also engaged in railroad building; died in Exeter, N.H., December 11, 1879; interment in Exeter Cemetery.

1755: Born - Nicholas Gilman, (brother of John Taylor Gilman and granduncle of Charles Jervis Gilman), a Delegate, a Representative, and a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Exeter, Rockingham County, N.H., August 3, 1755

He pursued an academic course; employed as a clerk in his father’s counting house; served in the continental army during the Revolutionary War; Member of the Continental Congress 1787-1789; delegate to the Federal Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 and one of the signers of the Constitution; elected to the First and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1789-March 3, 1797).

Hedeclined to be a candidate for renomination in 1796; chairman, Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business (Fourth Congress); elected in 1805 as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate; reelected in 1811 and served from March 4, 1805, until his death in Philadelphia, Pa., May 2, 1814; interment in Exeter Cemetery, Exeter, N.H.

1737 - Born: John Wentworth , Colonial Governor of New Hampshire from 1767 - 1775.

Born into a New Hampshire family of wealth and position, he attended Harvard College and by 1758 had received both a bachelor and masters degree. He became Governor of New Hampshire in 1766. As a loyalist during the American Revolution, Wentworth was forced to flee to New York City in 1776, and to England in 1778.

His property and possessions were seized by the government that was established upon his departure. From the mid-1780s Wentworth lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and served as Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1792 until his retirement in 1808. During his service he was knighted and awarded a baronetcy in 1795. Wentworth was buried in the crypt beneath St. Paul's Church in Halifax, where a tablet exists to his memory.

1819- Born: Aaron Fletcher Stevens, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Londonderry, Rockingham County, N.H., August 9, 1819;

Aaron attended Pinkerton Academy, Derry, N.H., and Crosby’s Nashua Literary Institute, Nashua, N.H.; at the age of sixteen was apprenticed to the trade of machinist and worked as a journeyman for several years; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Nashua, Hillsborough County, N.H.; member of the State house of representatives in 1845; held several local offices; during the Civil War served in the Union Army as major of the First Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, as colonel of the Thirteenth New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, and was brevetted brigadier general.

Delegate to the Whig National Convention in 1852; president of the common council of Nashua in 1853 and 1854; solicitor of Hillsborough County 1856-1861; city solicitor of Nashua in 1859, 1860, 1865, 1872, and 1875-1877.

elected as a Republican to the Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses (March 4, 1867-March 3, 1871); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1870 to the Forty-second Congress; again a member of the State house of representatives 1876-1884; resumed the practice of law; died in Nashua, N.H., May 10, 1887; interment in Nashua Cemetery.

1777 - The Battle of Bennington

The Battle of Bennington was a military conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in North America during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). The year and date that the Battle of Bennington took place on Saturday, August 16, 1777. Bennington, a town in southern Vermont near the New York border. The battlefield in which the British and American Forces fought during the Battle of Bennington was located in along the Walloomsac River, New York. The Battle of Bennington was part of the Saratoga campaign and ended in victory for the American colonists.

The Battle of Bennington - The Plan of General John Burgoyne Following the Battle of Princeton on January 03, 1777 the British army under General William Howe and Lord Charles Cornwallis abandoned nearly all their posts in New Jersey and retired to New York. General John Burgoyne was given command of the British forces charged with gaining control of Lake Champlain and the Hudson River valley. General John Burgoyne planned to cross Lake Champlain from Quebec and capture Ticonderoga before advancing on Albany, New York where he would rendezvous with the British forces under General Howe coming north from New York City and a smaller force advancing from the Mohawk River valley under Lieutenant Colonel Barry St. Leger thus dividing the colonies of New England from the southern colonies. The plan first faltered when St. Leger was forced to withdraw to Canada following the Siege of Fort Stanwix and the Battle of Oriskany.

Overview and Summary of the Battle of Bennington The Americans had a depot at Bennington, in Bennington County, Vermont - the battle was actually fought a few miles to the west along the Walloomsac River in New York. The depot contained vital supplies, stores and horses and was a prime target for the British. General John Burgoyne was running desperately short of supplies and provisions and sent over 800 troops through the Connecticut valley, under Friedrich Baum to capture the depot and the much needed supplies. His force consisted of British, German Hessians, American loyalists, and Indians from the Iroquois Confederacy.

About 2,000 New Hampshire militia rushed to the defense of Bennington. General John Stark, who had fought gallantly at the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Trenton, took command. John Stark led the American charge against the British front, repeatedly charging up the hill where the British lay behind breastworks (temporary fortifications made of earth, thrown up to breast height to provide protection). The Battle of Bennington raged for two hours but the British force was overpowered by superior numbers and Friedrich Baum was forced to surrender. German reinforcements under the command of Heinrich von Breymann looked set to reverse the outcome but were prevented by the arrival of Seth Warner’s Green Mountain Boys, the Vermont militia that had been founded by Ethan Allen.

The Green Mountain Boys drove the forces of Heinrich von Breymann away from Bennington taking over 700 prisoners and all of their arms. The Importance and Significance of the Battle of Bennington Significance of the Battle of Bennington: The significance of the conflict was that it reduced Burgoyne's army in size by almost 1,000 men, led his Indian support to largely abandon him, and deprived him of supplies. All of these factors, together with St. Leger's forced withdrawal to Quebec. The British were forced to proceed to Saratoga without the supplies, where they met a stunning defeat that turned the tide of the American Revolutionary War.

General John Stark - Battle of Bennington

1814 - Born: Jacob Benton, a Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1867 - 1870

Jacob was born in Waterford, Caledonia County, Vt., August 19, 1814; attended the common schools, Lyndon (Vt.) Academy, and Randolph (Vt.) Academy, and was graduated from Burr and Burton Seminary at Manchester in 1839; taught school for several years; moved to Lancaster, Coos County, N.H., in 1842; studied law

He was admitted to the bar in 1843 and commenced practice in Lancaster; member of the State house of representatives 1854-1856; delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1860; brigadier general, commanding State Volunteers; elected as a Republican to the Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses (March 4, 1867-March 3, 1871)

Hedeclined to be a candidate for renomination in 1870; resumed the practice of law; died in Lancaster, Coos County, N.H., September 29, 1892; interment in the Summer Street Cemetery.

1811- Born: Brigadier General Gilman Marston - Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1859 - 1862 and 1865 - 1866 Gilman Marston was born in Orford, N.H., August 20, 1811

He graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1837 and from the law department of Harvard University in 1840; admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Exeter, Rockingham County, N.H., in 1841; member, State house of representatives 1845-1849; delegate to the State constitutional convention of 1850; elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1859-March 3, 1863)

He served in the Union Army during the Civil War, resigning his commission as brigadier general in 1865; elected to the Thirty-ninth Congress (March 4, 1865-March 3, 1867); declined the Governorship of Idaho Territory in 1870; member, State house of representatives 1872, 1873, 1876-1878; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1876 to the Forty-fifth Congress; delegate to the State constitutional convention of 1876; appointed to the United States Senate on March 4, 1889, to fill the vacancy in the term commencing on that date and served until June 18, 1889, when a successor was elected; died in Exeter, N.H., July 3, 1890; interment in Exeter Cemetery.

1832 - Born: Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe in Jefferson Mills, New Hampshire. US Army First Aeronaut.

Intellectually curious and driven from a young age, Lowe had almost no formal education but demonstrated an appetite for learning which hinted at his future career as an inventor. At the age of 18 he attended a lecture on the subject of lighter-than-air gases and so impressed the professor, Reginald Dinkelhoff, with his enthusiasm that Dinkelhoff offered to take the young Lowe on the lecture circuit with him as an assistant. Over the course of the next decade, Lowe devoted himself to balloon aviation, and became a prominent builder of balloons and showman.

In 1855, at one of his demonstrations, he met the Parisian actress Leontine Augustine Gaschon, and they were wed just one week later. The couple eventually had ten children. In the latter part of the decade he set about building bigger balloons, with an eye towards a transatlantic crossing, and began to garner a prominent scientific reputation. In April, 1861, Lowe intended to make a test run from Cincinnati, Ohio to Washington, D.C. He took off on April 19, just a week after the fall of Fort Sumter, but instead of heading due east towards Washington Lowe’s balloon was blown way off course, eventually landing in Unionville, South Carolina. There, he was arrested on suspicion of being a Northern spy.

When he finally convinced the Confederate authorities of his innocence he returned to Cincinnati, only to be immediately summoned to Washington. The government was in fact interested in his experimental balloons as a means of gathering intelligence. In June of 1861, Lowe demonstrated for President Lincoln how useful his balloons could be when combined with new electric telegraph technology.

On the 11th of that month, from a height of 500 feet above the National Mall in Washington D.C., Lowe transmitted to the President: “This point of observation commands an extent of country nearly 50 miles in diameter. The city with its girdle of encampments, presents a superb scene. I have pleasure in sending you this first dispatch ever telegraphed from an aerial station, and in acknowledging indebtedness for your encouragement for the opportunity of demonstrating the availability of the science of aeronautics in the military service of the country.” Little more than a month later, Lowe and his balloon were in action during the First Battle of Bull Run, after which Lincoln approved the formation of the Union Army Balloon Corps, with Lowe as Chief Aeronaut (at a colonel’s salary). Lowe’s principal contribution to the militarization of balloon technology, and its use in the field, was the portable hydrogen gas generator, which allowed the balloons to accompany the army wherever they were needed. Made of a rugged material that could withstand the wear and tear of active campaigning, Lowe’s balloons could also be inflated in a very short amount of time.

They were a sensation in Washington, and many prominent military and political figures accompanied him on his ascensions. He eventually built a total of seven balloons and twelve generators for the war effort. In the spring of 1862, Lowe and his balloons played a significant role in the Peninsula Campaign, observing the enemy’s defensive dispositions and helping relay information during the slow but steady advance on Richmond. At the Battle of Seven Pines, Lowe’s aerial reconnaissance helped identify the buildup of Confederate forces near the Fair Oaks train station prior to the start of the battle. In addition to providing valuable aerial reconnaissance information, Lowe, when supported with direct telegraphic links to commanders, was able to provide near real-time artillery spotting to Army of the Potomac artillery units. While operating from Dr. Gaines’ farm on the future Gaines’ Mill battlefield, Lowe was positioned close enough to Richmond that he could clearly see the movements of soldiers and individuals within the city.

The sight of Lowe’s balloons, ominously hanging over the Virginia landscape, certainly must have unsettled the Confederates, who knew their movements were being observed by the enemy. While several attempts were made to destroy the Union balloons via long range artillery fire, none of Lowe’s balloons were ever damaged or destroyed in combat. Though Lowe and his balloons were able to avoid damaging enemy fire, Lowe himself contracted a serious bout of malaria from the mosquito infested waters near the Chickahominy River. After the conclusion of the Peninsula Campaign, Lowe’s Balloon Corps was utilized during the 1862 Fredericksburg and 1863 Chancellorsville campaigns.

During this period, some Union commanders and leaders began to question Lowe’s heavy expenditures and poor administrative skills. Placed under a more controlling military command structure, the frustrated and sick Lowe resigned from his balloon corps and the use of balloons within the Union armies ended shortly afterwards. Lowe returned to the private sector following the war, and made a fortune developing ice-making machines before moving to Los Angeles, California in 1887. He died at his daughter’s home in Pasadena in 1913, aged 80

1811 Born :General John Dana Webster - Hampton NH. Civil War Union Brevet Major General.

He served through the Mexican War as a Union Captain of engineers, resigned in 1854 and removed to Chicago, where he engaged in business. At the opening of the Civil War, he took charge of the construction of fortifications at Cairo, Illinois and Paducah, Kentucky. In 1862, he became Colonel of the 1st Illinois artillery, was present at the capture of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson and at Shiloh as General Grants chief of staff.

He was commissioned Brigadier General in November 1862 and was again General Grant's chief of staff in the Vicksburg Campaign. From 1864, until the end of the war, he served as chief of staff for General William T. Sherman and for General George H. Thomas at the battle of Nashville. He was brevetted Major General of US volunteers on March 13, 1865. After the war, he served as a assessor and a tax collector for the US Internal Revenue

1841 - Born: John Jones - Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient.

John Jones was a Landsman in the Union Navy. His citation reads "Served on board the USS Rhode Island which was engaged in saving the lives of the officers and crew of the USS Monitor, 30 December 1862.

Participating in the hazardous rescue of the officers and crew of the sinking Monitor, Jones, after rescuing several of the men, became separated in a heavy gale with other members of the cutter that had set out from the Rhode Island, and spent many hours in he small boat at the mercy of the weather and high seas until finally picked up by a schooner 50 miles east of Cape Hatteras." Burial: Saint Mary's Cemetery Portsmouth

1827 - Born: James A. Weston, the forty-first and forty-third governor to serve New Hampshire James Weston was born in Manchester, New Hampshire on August 27, 1827.

His education was attained in academies at Manchester and Piscataquog, where he studied engineering. He went to work in the railroad industry, establishing a successful career an engineer. He first entered politics as mayor of Manchester, a position he won election to in 1861, 1867, 1869, 1870 and 1874. Weston next secured the 1871 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and after a close popular election, the legislature named Weston the official governor. In 1872 and 1873 he lost his reelection bids, but was successful in winning reelection in 1874.

During his two terms, an important railroad merger was authorized; and numerous Democratic appointments were made in the judiciary, as well as in state jobs that were previously held by the Republican party. After completing his term, Weston retired from political life. He continued to stay active, working in the banking, insurance and railroad industries. Governor James A. Weston passed away in Manchester on May 8, 1895

James Weston NH Governor - NH State House Portrait

Born on August 28, 1728, General John Stark. Stark was the second son of Scottish immigrant parents in Londonderry, New Hampshire, but lived from the age of eight in Manchester (then called Derryfield).

In 1752 he was captured by the Abenaki when hunting and trapping along the Pemigewasset River. He was taken to Canada where he remained captive until a ransom was paid. General Stark was first commissioned as a second Lieutenant in Rogers' Rangers at the outbreak of the French and Indian Wars, and gained valuable experience that later led to his leadership in the Revolutionary War.

Between the French and Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War, General Stark spent a considerable amount of time at the Page homestead in Dunbarton, and married Elizabeth "Molly" Page on August 20, 1758. General Stark became colonel in the New Hampshire Militia four days after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and was given command of the First New Hampshire Regiment. He was instrumental in leading the fight at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775 and the Battle of Bennington in 1777.

Stark was Major General in command of the Northern Department of the Continental Army during the latter years of the war. His participation ended for a while after Bennington and Saratoga, but he was called back to take command of the whole Northern Department.

In 1783, Stark was ordered to headquarters by George Washington, and given the personal thanks of the Commander-in-Chief, as well as the rank of Major General by brevet. After the war, Stark retired to his home in Derryfield. He and Molly had 10 children, 5 boys and 5 girls, one of whom died in infancy. He died on May 8, 1822 at the age of 93 and was buried in Manchester; it was said that he was the last surviving Continental general of the Revolution.

General John Stark New Hampshire State House Portrait

John Stark Memorial - Stark New Hampshire

1826 - Tragedy in Crawford Notch - The Willey Slide.

In 1825, Samuel Willey Jr. and his family moved into a house nestled in the heart of Crawford Notch. The events that transpired there unknowingly turned the White Mountains into one of the biggest tourist attractions on the East Coast.

Born in 1788, Samuel Willey Jr. was a New Hampshire local. He and his wife, Polly Lovejoy, were born in Concord, and owned a farm in Lower Bartlett. They stayed at the farm for thirteen years, raising their five children before relocating to Crawford Notch. Though Crawford Notch was relatively desolate at the time, the Willey family moved there in an attempt to break into the inn-keeping business. They purchased a house known as the Old Notch House built in 1793 and situated in the shadow of what is now called Mt. Willey. After they moved in, they hired two additional men to help enlarge and repair the house, turning it into a two-story home with stables and a barn. They renamed the house the Willey House Inn and Tavern.

Most of the visitors who stayed at the Willey House were farmers from New Hampshire and Vermont who were passing through the Notch on their way to Portland, Maine. However, these were not the visitors the Willey family was anticipating. They were hoping for tourists who, inspired by the works of authors and artists at the time, came to Crawford Notch for the beauty of the White Mountains. The house was situated in a valley full of sugar maples, offering unparalleled fall colors. In June of 1826, a severe rainstorm tore through the White Mountains, causing a landslide across the Saco River. A huge mass of soil and vegetation slid into the floor of the valley near where the Willey House was situated. As a result, Samuel Willey Jr. decided to build a stone shelter slightly above the house where the family could flee if another landslide threatened the valley.

Two months later, in August of 1826, one of the most violent rainstorms ever known in the White Mountains passed through Crawford Notch. This rainstorm followed a period of severe drought which had transformed the mountain soil to powder and gravel. The result was another massive, destructive landslide. The Saco River rose 20 feet overnight, farms and their livestock were set afloat, and the dry soil came tumbling down into the valley. Able Crawford (for whom the Notch is named after) reported that his farm, located six miles below the Willey House, was destroyed. The next morning, a merchant traveled through the Notch to the Willey House. After navigating around six miles of rubble, he found the Willey House, still intact and standing. However, the Willey family and their two hired men were nowhere to be found. The merchant traveled back to Bartlett to spread the mysterious news. The day after, a search party full of anxious friends and relatives was organized. They reached the Willey House, but like the merchant, found it completely deserted. Though the area nearby was covered in debris and rubble, the house had somehow survived because it was situated near a rock ledge that divided the major slide into two streams. The slide, therefore, passed by the house on both sides leaving it untouched.

Inside the house the search party found unmade beds, clothes thrown about, and an open Bible on a table. The party concluded that the family must have left the house in a hurry. After hours of looking, the search party found the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Willey, two of the children, and the two hired men nearby. They had been crushed in the wreckage of the slide. The three other children were never found. Though it’s not clear what happened, it’s presumed that the family had fled the Willey House to stay in the stone shelter that Samuel Willey Jr. had built after the first landslide. Whether they died in the shelter, or on their way, is a mystery. What is known is that if they’d stayed in the Willey House they likely would have survived.

News of the Willey Family tragedy spread through newspapers and guidebooks, attracting tourists to the region. People were drawn to the site, captured by the story of what happened, and awed by the survival of the house. Famous authors and poets used the house as a source of inspiration. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a short story about the tragedy called The Ambitious Guest. Artists were equally inspired. Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School of Painting, painted a landscape called Distant View of the Slide that Destroyed the Willey Family. These works of art and literature drew people to the White Mountains like never before – the kinds of people the Willey family were hoping to meet when they first moved to the house.

Willey House - Crawford Notch New Hampshire

1768 - Born: Josiah Bartlett, Jr., (son of Josiah Bartlett), a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Kingston, N.H., August 29, 1768.

He attended the common schools and was graduated from Exeter Academy, Exeter, N.H.; studied medicine and commenced practice in Stratham, Rockingham County, N.H.; member of the State senate in 1809 and 1810; elected as a Republican to the Twelfth Congress (March 4, 1811-March 3, 1813)

Heresumed the practice of medicine; treasurer of Rockingham County; again elected to the State senate, in 1824, and served as president; presidential elector in 1824 and supported John Quincy Adams; resumed the practice of medicine; died in Stratham, N.H., April 16, 1838; interment in the Old Congregational Cemetery.

1771 - Born: George Sullivan, (son of John Sullivan and nephew of James Sullivan), George Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1811 - 1812. Born in Durham, N.H., August 29, 1771.

He graduated from Harvard University in 1790; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Exeter, Rockingham County, N.H., in 1793; member of the State house of representatives in 1805; attorney general of New Hampshire in 1805 and 1806; elected as a Federalist to the Twelfth Congress (March 4, 1811-March 3, 1813); again a member of the State house of representatives in 1813.

He served in the State senate in 1814 and 1815; again attorney general of the State 1816-1835; died in Exeter, N.H., April 14, 1838; interment in the Old Cemetery (Winter Street).

1810: Born - Onslow Stearns, the fortieth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Billerica, Massachusetts on August 30, 1810.

His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. Stearns established a successful career in the railroad industry. He started working as a contractor, and eventually became an executive for several railroads. Stearns first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate, a position he held from 1862 to 1864.

He also served as president of the senate from 1863 to 1864; and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1864. Stearns next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in the 1869 general election. He was reelected to a second term in 1870.

During his tenure, a board of agriculture was founded; taxes and the state deficit were reduced; and industrial developments were promoted. After completing his term, Stearns retired from political life. '

He stayed active, working again in the railroad industry. Governor Onslow Stearns passed away on December 29, 1878, and was buried in the Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord, New Hampshire.

Onslow Stearns, NH State House Portrait Plate

1869: - Born: Henry French Hollis. Represented New Hampshire in the US Senate from 1913 - 1919. Henry was born in Concord, N.H., August 30, 1869.

He attended the public schools and studied under private tutors; engaged in civil engineering for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in 1886 and 1887; graduated from Harvard University in 1892; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1893 and commenced practice in Concord; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1900 to the Fifty-seventh Congress; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor in 1902 and 1904; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate for the term beginning March 4, 1913, and served from March 13, 1913, until March 3, 1919.

He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1918; chairman, Committee on Enrolled Bills (Sixty-third through Sixty-fifth Congresses); regent of the Smithsonian Institution 1914-1919; United States representative to the Interallied War Finance Council 1918; member of the United States Liquidation Commission for France and England 1919.

Hecommenced the practice of international law in 1919; appointed to the International Bank of Bulgaria 1922; died in Paris, France, July 7, 1949; interment in Blossom Hill Cemetery, Concord, N.H.

1822: Born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, August 31, 1822 - General Fitz John Porter - Civil War General A cousin of David D. Porter, the New Hampshire native received an appointment to West Point from New York.

Graduating from West Point in 1845, he was posted to the artillery. Wounded at Chapultepec, he earned two brevets in Mexico and transferred to the adjutant generals department in the 1850s. He was Albert Sidney Johnston's adjutant during the operations against the Mormons. His Civil War-era assignments included: first lieutenant, 4th Artillery (since May 29, 1847); brevet captain and assistant adjutant general (since June 27, 1856); colonel, 15th Infantry (May 14, 1861); chief of staff, Department of Pennsylvania (summer 1861); brigadier general, USV (August 7,1861, to rank from May 17); commanding division, Army of the Potomac (October 3 1861-March 13, 1862); commanding 1st Division, 3rd Corps, Army of the Potomac (March 13-May 18, 1862); commanding 5th Corps (a provisional organization until July 22), Army of the Potomac (May 18-November 10, 1862); and major general, USV (July 4,1862).

Following initial service as a staff officer under Robert Patterson he began his long-lasting and damaging friendship with McClellan. He led a division to the Peninsula and saw action in the operations against Yorktown. When McClellan created two provisional corps he appointed Porter to the command of one of them. At Beaver Dam Creek and Gaines Mill--at the start of the Seven Days--he displayed excellent generalship in the defensive fighting. Again at Malvern Hill he played a leading role in covering the withdrawal of the army. For this series of battles he was awarded a second star and was brevetted regular army brigadier. His command was sent to reinforce Pope in northern Virginia--an assignment for which he made no secret of his displeasure. At 2nd Bull Run he was ordered to attack the flank and rear of Stonewall Jackson's command. But no attack was launched because the order was based upon faulty information and the indications that Longstreet was then present on the field. An 1878 inquiry under John M. Schofield found that Porter was right in not committing his men to a doomed assault which Longstreet would have crushed. It further found that Porters actions probably saved the Army of Virginia from an even greater disaster. However, these findings came too late to save his military career.

After serving in reserve under his friend McClellan at Antietam he was relieved of command on November 10, 1862, and placed under arrest. In the trial for disloyalty, disobedience of orders, and misconduct in the face of the enemy he was damaged by his friendship for the now-deposed McClellan and his own anti-Pope statements. There was a political atmosphere to the court which was composed of Stanton appointees, most of whom received promotions, brevets, or higher commands for their service on the panel. Porter was found guilty on January 10, 1863, and sentenced to be cashiered from the army. Eleven days later the sentence was carried out, and Porter spent much of the remainder of his life trying to get his name cleared. The 1878 Schofield board was a first step and, following its recommendations, President Chester A. Arthur remitted the sentence four years later. By a special act of Congress in 1886 he was recommissioned an infantry colonel, to rank from May 14, 1861, but back pay was denied him. Two days later, with his battle largely won, Porter was retired at his own request. In the postwar years he was involved in mining, construction, and the mercantile businesses. He refused an appointment in the Egyptian army and served as New York City's police, fire, and public works commissioners. The controversy over Porter's guilt or innocence has continued among historians, most of whom conclude that the only offense committed by that talented officer was indiscretion. He died in Morristown, New Jersey, May 21, 1901

General Fitz John Porter Statue Portsmouth New Hampshire

1796 - Born: Nathaniel S. Berry, the thirty-sixth governor of New Hampshire Nathaniel was born in Bath, Maine on September 1, 1796.

His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. As a young boy, he went to work as a tanner’s apprentice. He eventually moved to New Hampshire, where he continued to work in the tanning trade. Berry first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held in 1828, 1833 to 1834, 1837 and 1854. He also served in the New Hampshire State Senate from 1835 to 1836.

He was a delegate to the 1840 Democratic National Convention; and served on the Grafton County common pleas court bench from 1841 to 1850. From 1856 to 1861 he was a probate judge for Grafton County; and for twenty-three years served as justice of the peace. After running unsuccessfully as a Free-Soil nominee for governor, Berry switched political parties. He then secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1861. He was reelected to a second term in 1862. During his tenure, war issues were dealt with.

Also, Berry presided over the 1861 Altoona Conference, in which he presented the address in support of the war. After completing his term, Berry retired from political office. Governor Nathaniel S. Berry passed away in Bristol, New Hampshire on April 27, 1894.

Nathaniel Berry NH State House Portrait Plate

1873 - Born: Robert P. Bass, the sixty-second governor of New Hampshire. Robert Bass was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 1, 1873.

His education was attained at Harvard University, where he graduated in 1896, and where he also took some graduate classes. Before entering into a political career, Bass worked to advance the agriculture and forestry industries. He first entered politics in 1905, serving as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held four years. He also was a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1909 to 1910.

Bass next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1910. During his tenure, a child labor law was supported; a state public service commission was created, a bureau of labor was organized; and a workmen's compensation bill was lobbied for.

After completing his term, Bass ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. senatorial seat in 1913 and 1926. During World War I, he served as director of Marine Labor, as well as serving as chairman of the National Adjustment Commission. In 1923 he won reelection to the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Governor Robert P. Bass passed away on July 29, 1960 in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

1948 - Born: Sharon Christa McAuliffe, the eldest of Edward and Grace Corrigan's five children, was born on September 2, 1948, in Framingham, Massachusetts.

While in high school, Christa met Steve McAuliffe. Christa attended Framingham State College, majored in history, and received her degree in 1970. That year, she and Steve were married. Soon after, they moved to Washington, D.C., where Steve attended law school. Christa taught school until the birth of her first child, Scott. She then attended Bowie State College and earned a masters degree in school administration in 1978. Shortly thereafter Steve, Christa and Scott moved to Concord, New Hampshire, and Christa's second child, Caroline, was born.

The McAuliffes settled into an old, three-story house, Steve began his law practice, and Christa stayed home with the children. Christa's love of teaching soon led her back to the classroom. First, Christa taught at Bow Memorial School, and then moved to Concord High School. Christa was also actively involved in the community - church, a tennis club, the local playhouse, the YMCA and Concord Hospital. In addition, she was a Girl Scout leader, a jogger and a swimmer. When the opportunity came to apply to be the first Teacher in Space, everyone who knew Christa told her to "Go for it!" She completed the eleven page application, mailed it at the last minute and hoped for the best. After becoming a finalist, Christa did not think she would be chosen. Some of the other teachers were doctors, authors, scholars. . . she was just an ordinary person. However, she was chosen, out of 11,500 applicants.

An ordinary person - to whom ordinary people could relate - doing the extraordinary. Christa's presence in the space program helped boost public interest and curiosity, and through her participation she became an inspiration to the teaching profession as well. She felt her exposure as the Teacher in Space reflected well on all teachers. Regarding the space program, she said, "A lot of people thought it was over when we reached the Moon. They put space on the back burner. But people have a connection with teachers. Now that a teacher has been selected, they are starting to watch the launches again." Christa began her training at NASA's facility in Houston in September of 1985. At first she was worried that the other astronauts might think she was just along for the ride. She wanted to prove she could work just as hard as they could. But when they met, the other members of the crew treated her as part of the team. Christa trained with them for 114 hours, and when launch time came, she was ready. Just 73 seconds after lift-off, the space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all seven astronauts aboard. While aboard the shuttle, Christa was to have taught two lessons from space. In one she would have introduced each flight member, explained their roles, shown the cockpit with its 1,300 switches and dials and explained how crew members ate, slept and exercised in microgravity. Her second lesson would have explained how the shuttle flew, discussed why people explore space, and reported on technological advances created by the space program. Throughout her voyage she was to have kept a journal, inspired by the journals of the pioneer women who left their homes in search of a new frontier. Christa said "That's our new frontier out there, and it's everybody's business to know about space." Grace Corrigan, Christa's mother, said in her book A Journal For Christa, "Christa lived. She never just sat back and existed. Christa always accomplished everything that she was capable of accomplishing. She extended her own limitations. She cared about her fellow human beings. She did the ordinary, but she did it well and unfailingly."

On January 28, 1986, her mission in space ended in tragedy. However, her message continues to speak to us today. Christa's motto was "I touch the future, I teach", and she is teaching us still. Christa's mission continues here at the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium which was erected in her memory. The idea for a planetarium was suggested by Louise Wiley, a teacher from Northwood, New Hampshire, and was chosen from among many other ideas because it combined Christa's dream of traveling through space with her dedication to teaching. In April, 1988, the New Hampshire Legislature appropriated funds to build the Planetarium, and ground breaking took place on October 26, 1988. Construction was completed in little more than a year. On June 21, 1990 the Planetarium began its mission to educate, incite and entertain learners of all ages in the sciences and humanities by actively engaging them in the exploration of astronomy and space science. Since then nearly 30,000 school children a year, and thousands of others, have passed through the doors to participate in The Ultimate Field Trip.

1854 - Born: Nahum Bachelder - New Hampshire Governor 1902-1904

NAHUM J. BACHELDER, the fifty-eighth governor of New Hampshire, was born in East Andover, New Hampshire on September 3, 1854.

His education was attained at an academy in Franklin, and at the New Hampton Institute. For a short time, Bachelder taught school, however, his true passion was in agricultural field. In 1877 he became involved in the Highland Lake Grange, later serving as the master of the local grange. He was secretary of the New Hampshire Grange State Fair Association from 1886 to 1896, as well as serving as secretary and master of the State Grange from 1891 to 1903. He also chaired the executive committee of the National Grange; and was secretary of the State Board of Agriculture from 1887 to 1913. Bachelder first entered politics in 1889, serving on the Immigration Commission, a post that merged with agriculture in 1891.

He also served as secretary of the New Hampshire Old Home Week Association; and was a member of the New Hampshire Cattle Commission in 1891. Bachelder next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in November 1902.

During his tenure, a state armory was established at Manchester; liquor prohibition was eliminated; the Laconia state school was initiated for the mentally retarded; and the state agricultural college was advanced. After completing his term, Bachelder retired from political life. He continued to stay active in the National Grange, serving as the tenth master. Governor Nahum J. Bachelder passed away on April 22, 1934, and was buried in the Proctor Cemetery in Andover, New Hampshire.

Governor Nahum Bachelder NH State House Portrait

Governor Nahum Bachelder NH State House Portrait Plate

1859 - Born: Charles Doyen in Concord New Hampshire. Brigadier General Doyen was a member of the Naval Academy class of 1881, later commissioned second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

He organized and commanded the 5th Marine Regiment in World War I, and in France took command of the 4th Brigade, 2d Division, composed of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments and the 6th Machine Gun Battalion. From 26 October to 8 November 1917, he served as commanding general, 2nd Division (United States), the first Marine officer to command a U.S. Army division.

He returned to the United States, dying of influenza during the height of the global pandemic on 6 October 1918 at Quantico, Virginia. The 4th Brigade went on to win a historic victory in Belleau Wood. Brigadier General Doyen's contribution to these victories was recognized by the posthumous award of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the first to ever be awarded

Charles A Doyen NH State House Portrait Plate

1898 - Born: Henry S. Bridges, the seventy-third governor of New Hampshire, was born in West Pembroke, Maine on September 9, 1898.

His education was attained at the University of Maine, where he graduated in 1918. Before entering politics, he worked as a teacher, a magazine editor, and an investment banker.

He also served twelve years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve. Bridges first entered public service as a member of the New Hampshire Public Service Commission, a position he held from 1930 to 1934. He next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in November 1934.

During his tenure, relief measures were enacted that benefited needy children and disadvantaged mothers; a fair unemployment insurance bill was promoted; and the first woman was appointed to the state judiciary. After completing his term, Bridges served as a member of the U.S. Senate, a position he held until 1961.

In 1940 his name was placed in nomination at the Republican National Convention and it was confidently expected in New England that he would be the vice presidential nominee (Charles L. McNary of New York won the nomination). Governor Henry S. Bridges passed away on November 26, 1961, and was buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery in East Concord, New Hampshire.

Governor Henry S Bridges NH State House Portrait

Governor Henry S Bridges NH State House Portrait Plate

1850 - Born: Frank Gay Clarke, Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1897 - 1901; Frank Clarke was born in Wilton, Hillsborough County, N.H., September 10, 1850;

He attended Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, N.H., and Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1876 and commenced practice in Peterboro; member of the State house of representatives in 1885; appointed colonel on the military staff of Governor Hale and served in that capacity from 1885 to 1887;

He served in the State senate in 1889; elected to the State house of representatives in 1891 and chosen speaker of that body; elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth Congresses and served from March 4, 1897, until his death in Peterboro, Hillsborough County, N.H., January 9, 1901; interment in Pine Hill Cemetery.

Frank Gay Clarke, NH Congressman 1897 - 1901

1832 - Born: Frank Jones - Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1875 - 1878 Frank was born in Barrington, N.H., September 15, 1832

He attended the public schools; moved to Portsmouth in 1849 and became a merchant and brewer; owned establishments in Portsmouth and South Boston, Mass.; mayor of Portsmouth in 1868 and 1869; elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1875-March 3, 1879);

He was not a candidate for renomination in 1878; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of New Hampshire in 1880; affiliated with the Republican Party; interested in railroads; presidential elector on the Republican ticket in 1900; died in Portsmouth, N.H., October 2, 1902; interment in Harmony Grove Cemetery.

1726: Born in Exeter - Nathaniel Folsom - Nathaniel Folsom, a Delegate from New Hampshire; born in Exeter, Rockingham County, N.H., September 18, 1726.

He attended the public schools; served in the French and Indian Wars as a captain in Colonel Blanchard’s regiment; successively major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel of the Fourth Regiment of New Hampshire Militia, which he commanded at the beginning of the Revolutionary War; brigadier general of the New Hampshire troops sent to Massachusetts and served during the siege of Boston.

He wasappointed major general and planned the details of troops sent from New Hampshire to Ticonderoga; Member of the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1777-1780; executive councilor in 1778; a delegate to the State constitutional convention of 1783, serving as its president; chief justice of the court of common pleas; died in Exeter, N.H., on May 26, 1790; interment in Winter Street Cemetery

1922 - Born: Walter Peterson.

Walter Peterson was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, on September 19, 1922. He received a B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1947. He also attended the College of William and Mary and the University of New Hampshire.

His college years were interrupted by four years' service as a U.S. Naval Reserve officer in the Southern Pacific. After graduation from Dartmouth, Peterson became a partner in The Petersons, Inc., a real estate firm in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He served as a member of the Peterborough Budget Committee (1957-63); and as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, serving as majority leader from 1963 to 1964 and as speaker from 1965 to 1968.

He was elected governor in 1968 and reelected in 1970. As governor Peterson was much concerned with state revenues. The state was growing rapidly and costs of infrastructure were rising. A business profits tax was passed, and increased liquor sales helped produce a budget surplus during his administration.

Efforts were made to reorganize state government so that it operated more effectively at less cost; a 300-person Citizens Task Force worked on this. In 1972 a special session of the legislature was called to consider the impact of New Hampshire's property tax on cities and towns, and related fiscal matters.

For two decades following his tenure as governor, Peterson was president of Franklin Pierce College. Governor Peterson died June 2, 2011

Governor Walter Peterson NH State House Portrait

1760-: Born - Clement Storer, Represented NH in Congress from 1807 - 1808 and a Senator from 1817 - 1819.

Clement was born in Kennebunk, Maine, September 20, 1760; completed preparatory studies; studied medicine in Portsmouth, N.H., and in Europe; engaged in the practice of medicine in Portsmouth; captain of militia and held successive ranks to that of major general; member, State house of representatives 1810-1812, serving one year as speaker; elected as a Democratic Republican to the Tenth Congress (March 4, 1807-March 3, 1809);

Elected as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jeremiah Mason and served from June 27, 1817, to March 3, 1819; chairman, Committee on the Militia (Fifteenth Congress); high sheriff of Rockingham County 1818-1824; died in Portsmouth, N.H., November 21, 1830; interment in North Cemetery.

1647: Born - Joseph Dudley. NH Governor from 1686-1787 and 1702-1716.

Joseph was the son of Governor Thomas Dudley and Katherine Dighton of Roxbury, Massachusetts and half-brother to the poet Anne Bradstreet. Graduating from Harvard (1665) with the prospect of being a minister, he instead followed a political career.

He was a representative (1673-1675) and assistant (1676-1685) to the Massachusetts legislature and a commissioner of the New England Confederation. During King Philip's War he served in the Narragansett Campaign and fought at the Great Swamp Fight. Massachusetts authorities sent him to England in 1682 as agent to defend the Colony's interests.

In 1684, when the Colony's charter was revoked, Dudley was appointed president of Andros' council and interim governor of Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and the King's Province of Rhode Island.

In 1689, he was deposed and arrested with Andros and eventually sent to England for prosecution. Found not guilty, Dudley returned to America in 1691 as chief of council for New York, a position that required him to negotiate with the colony's Native communities. He later became deputy governor of the Isle of Wight and a Member of Parliament.

Dudley returned to New England in 1702 to become governor, a position he held until 1715. As governor, his Indian policies were varied. He was a member of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts and appointed one of the commissioners for the Mohegan Case in 1705.

Born: September 23, 1647 Died: April 2, 1720

Governor Joseph Dudley NH State House Portrait

1800: Born - William H.Y. Hackett in Gilmanton New Hampshire.

William Hackett was schooled at Gilmanton Academy. Between 1820 and 1825 Hacket taught school at Portsmouth High School. Hackett believed in a strong Bank of the United States. The Portsmouth business community agreed with him, and in 1827, Hackett was made a director of the Piscataqua Bank. He was then asked to organize the Portsmouth First National Bank.

Hackett served as President of this bank until his death. He also served as an officer of Portsmouth Savings Bank and Piscataqua Savings Bank, and he was President of Piscataqua Exchange Bank throughout its Charter (1845-1863). Until 1850, Portsmouth did not allow lawyers to run for political office.

In 1850 this law changed. Hackett was immediately elected to the first of several terms as a state representative (1850-1852, 1857, 1860, 1867-1869). In 1862 he became a state senator.

On December 13, 1861 Hackett was admitted to the Bar of the US Supreme Court, and in 1862 he was President of the New Hampshire Historical Society (1861-1866): in 1872 he was a vice president of the Republican Party Nation Convention.

William HY Hacket NH State House Portrait

1842: Born - Rear Admiral George Henry Wadleigh in Dover, New Hampshire, and entered the United States Naval Academy on September 26, 1860, with the rank of midshipman.

He graduated on May 28, 1863, with the rank of ensign. He then served during the Civil War in the Gulf of Mexico on the steam sloops Lackawanna and Richmond, seeing action at the battle of Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864, and receiving promotion to master on November 10, 1865. After the Civil War he became a companion of the Massachusetts Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

In 1866-1869 Wadleigh was in European, Mediterranean and African waters as an officer of Ticonderoga, and received promotion to the rank of lieutenant on November 10, 1866, and to lieutenant commander on March 12, 1868. During the following decade he had shore duty at the Naval Academy and several other facilities and was Executive Officer of the gunboat Shawmut, monitor Canonicus, schoolship St. Mary's and sloop Pensacola.

Promoted to commander on March 13, 1880, in 1881 he commanded Alliance during an arduous Arctic cruise searching for survivors of the ill-fated Jeannette expedition. Commander Wadleigh spend most of the 1880s in shore positions. He returned to duty afloat in 1889-1891 as Commanding Officer of the Great Lakes gunboat Michigan. Promoted to captain on July 10, 1894, he commanded the receiving ship Richmond until late in that year, then took command of the new cruiser Minneapolis, in which he cruised in U.S., West Indian and European waters into 1897.

Captain Wadleigh served at the Boston Navy Yard until June 1898, including some very busy months near the end of that tour as the Navy prepared ships for Spanish–American War operations. From July 1898 until December 1901 he was Commanding Officer of the cruiser Philadelphia, in the Pacific, and the receiving ship Wabash at Boston.

He achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in February 1902 and was briefly Commandant of the Philadelphia Navy Yard and President of the Board of Inspection and Survey before retiring from active duty in June of that year. In retirement, Rear Admiral Wadleigh made his home at Dover, New Hampshire. He died on July 11, 1927.

1818: Born - Nathaniel B. Baker, the thirty-second governor of New Hampshire, was born in Henniker, New Hampshire on September 29, 1818.

His education was attained at Phillips Exeter Academy, and at Harvard University, where he graduated in 1839. He studied law, and then established his legal career in Concord. He also embarked into a successful journalism career, in which he owned and published the New Hampshire Patriot.

Baker first entered public service as clerk of the common pleas court, a position he held in 1845. He also served as clerk of the Merrimack County superior court in 1846; was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1850; and served as an 1852 presidential elector.

Baker next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1854. During his tenure, several new banks were incorporated; resolutions condemning the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska bill both failed to pass; legislation was sanctioned that entitled women the right to make a will; and a number of new organizations, as well as several new businesses were chartered.

After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Baker moved to Iowa, where he practiced law and became involved in state politics. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives in 1859; and was the state adjutant general from 1861 to 1876. Governor Nathaniel B. Baker passed away in Des Moines, Iowa on September 11, 1876.

1865: Born - HON. JOHN SCAMMON, a member of the well known law firm of Eastman, Scammon & Gardner, at Exeter, was born at Stratham, N. H.

His parents, John J. and Rachel J. (Jewell) Scammon, were both natives of Stratham, where the father followed the occupation of farmer. He is now deceased, but his widow survives him and resides in Stratham. They had only two children: Frank H., a commercial traveler, who died in 1906, and John, the subject of this review, who is the third John Scammon in direct line, the grandfather having also borne that name. John Scammon, our direct subject, began his education in the schools of Exeter, N. H., and later attended Boston University.

He was admitted to the bar in 1898, having studied law with Mr. E. G. Eastman, of Exeter, with whom he has since been associated and where he has since practiced his pro- fession very successfully. A Republican in politics, he served as representative to the legislature from Exeter in 1903 and again in 1905. In 1907 Mr. Scammon was president of the New Hampshire State Senate, being representative of the Twenty-first District in the State Senate that term.

In 1911 he was the member from Exeter of the Constitutional Convention. In 1913 he was again a member of the State Senate, and at the fall election of 1914 he was elected on the Republican ticket as a member of Governor-elect Rolland H. Spaulding's council, representing the First New Hampshire District. He is a member of the Masonic order, in which he has attained the 32d degree, belonging to the Blue Lodge and Chapter at Exeter.

Mr. Scammon was married in 1891 to Mary J. Dixey, a native of Marble- head, Mass., and daughter of Richard H. and Sarah J. (Chase) Dixey, her father being a well known provision dealer in Marblehead. Mr. and Mrs. Scammon are the parents of five children--Oscar J., John J., Mariana Hoyt, Henry G. and George Richard. The family attend the Congregational church. They are among the best known and most popular residents of the town. John Scammon passed away on April 8, 1940 in Keene New Hampshire

John Scammon NH State House Portrait Plate

1804: Born - Robert Parker Parrott in Lee NH.Inventor and businessman. The son of US Senator John Fabyan Parrott, Robert Parrott graduated third in his class at West Point in 1824 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.

He served in the Creek Indian War and later in Ordnance Bureau and at West Point, attaining the rank of Captain before resigning in 1836. Building on his father's work as an inventor of naval guns, he began work as superintendent of a foundry in Cold Spring. In partnership with his brother Peter, Parrott soon purchased the foundry from his future brother-in-law Gouverneur Kemble and expanded it into the nation's largest.

He continued to experiment with ordnance and in 1861 patented the Parrott Gun, a cannon with a rifled barrel that revolutionized warfare by enhancing the distance and accuracy of artillery and naval gunfire. His guns, available in a variety of sizes and mounts, were in high demand during the Civil War and were a key factor in the Union's victory. Parrott's later inventions included the Parrott Sight and the Parrott Fuse.

In 1867, Parrott retired from management of the foundry, but continued experimenting with projectiles and fuses, remaining active in his workshop until his death. The West Point Foundry continued in operation until 1911, and many Parrott Guns are on display at museums, parks and military posts. The remnants of the West Point Foundry are maintained by the Scenic Hudson preservation organization and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

1794 - Born: Icabod Goodwin, the thirty-fifth governor of New Hampshire.

Icabod Goodwin was born in North Berwick, Maine on October 8, 1794. His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state.

After moving to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Goodwin established a successful career as a businessman. He became the owner of several banks, railroads, boats, and a textile factory. Goodwin first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held in 1838, 1843, 1844, 1850, 1854 and 1856. He also served as a member of the 1850 state constitutional convention.

Goodwin next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1859. He was reelected to a second term in 1860.

During his tenure, the common pleas court was disbanded; the state supreme court duties were strengthened; regulations in the railroad industry were promoted; the extension of slavery was contested; and troops and provisions were raised for service in the Civil War. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Goodwin retired from political office.

Governor Icabod Goodwin passed away on July 4, 1882, and was buried in the South Church Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Ichabod Goodwin NH State House Portrait Plate

1782: Born - Lewis Cass in Exeter, New Hampshire, on October 9, 1782.

He received his formal schooling at the Exeter Academy, before moving with his parents to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1799. Cass briefly earned a living as a schoolteacher, before moving to the Northwest Territory in 1801. Purchasing a farm near Zanesville, Ohio, Cass preferred a legal career to life as a farmer.

Cass quickly became an important political figure in the new state of Ohio. He was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1806 and also served as a United States marshal for the Ohio district from 1807 to 1812. He resigned as U.S. marshal in 1812 to enlist in the United States Army. He played an active role in Ohio's defense during the War of 1812. Cass began the war as a colonel under General William Hull. He was present when Hull surrendered Detroit in 1812. Cass quickly moved up the ranks, however, attaining the rank of brigadier general by the war's conclusion. During the War of 1812, President James Madison appointed Cass the governor of the Michigan Territory. He served in this position from 1813 to 1831. President Andrew Jackson appointed Cass Secretary of War in 1831. Cass held this position until 1836, when Jackson appointed him the United States' ambassador to France. Cass remained in France until 1842.

He returned to Michigan and was elected to the United States Senate from that state in 1845. He strongly supported United States expansion and rallied behind President James K. Polk during the U.S.-Mexican War. Cass firmly believed that incorporating new people and territory under United States control would help these people live more fruitful lives. This belief was a major component of Manifest Destiny.

Like Cass, many Americans during the 1840s believed that God wanted the Americans to expand -- that it was the United States' God-given destiny. By 1848, Cass had become one of the most well-known citizens of the United States. That same year, the Democratic Party selected him to be its candidate for President of the United States.

The Democrats hoped that Cass would be attractive to a wide variety of Americans because of his views on slavery. Cass advocated popular sovereignty. Under popular sovereignty, the people residing in a territory would decide whether or not their state would allow slavery. While some Americans supported this position, many other people feared that it was too vague. Over the past thirty years, both the North and South had tried to maintain the same number of free and slave states.

By maintaining a balance between the two, both sides would have an equal number of senators in the United States government. By creating this balance, neither side would be able to submit a bill to the president to sign into law that would either outlaw slavery or make it legal everywhere. Cass's proposal, theoretically, could upset this balance. Primarily for this reason, Cass lost the presidency to Zachary Taylor, a hero from the Mexican War and a man who refused to state his views on practically any of the issues raised during the campaign, including slavery.

Cass did win his former home state of Ohio, but many Ohioans found him unacceptable, including abolitionists. Following Cass's loss in the election of 1848, he returned to Michigan and continued to serve as one of that state's U.S. Senators. He held his Senate seat until 1857, when he became President James Buchanan's Secretary of State. He resigned this position in 1860 and retired to Detroit, dying there on June 17, 1866.

1840 - Born: Evarts W. Farr - Civil War Officer and US Congressman.

Evarts Worcester Farr, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Littleton, Grafton County, N.H., October 10, 1840;

Evarts attended the common schools and Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.; during the Civil War entered the Union Army as first lieutenant of Company G, Second Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry and served as major in the Eleventh Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry; assistant assessor of internal revenue 1865-1869.

He studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1867 and commenced practice in Littleton; assessor of internal revenue 1869-1873; solicitor for Grafton County 1873-1879; member of the executive council of New Hampshire in 1876.

He waselected as a Republican to the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Congresses and served from March 4, 1879, until his death in Littleton, N.H., November 30, 1880; interment in Glenwood Cemetery

Evarts Worcester Farr NH State House Portrait

Evarts Worcester Farr NH State House Portrait Plate

1918: Born - John W. King, the eighty-first Governor of New Hampshire, was born in Manchester, New Hampshire.

His education was attained at Harvard University, where he earned an A.B. degree in 1938, and an M.A. degree in public law in 1941. He then attended Columbia University, where he earned an LL.B. degree in 1943. After practicing law in New York and New Hampshire, King entered into politics.

In 1957, he chaired the Manchester delegation in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, as well as serving as the minority leader of the house in 1959 and 1961. King next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1962.

He won reelection in 1964 and 1966. During his tenure, the Robert Frost historic homestead was established; a state lottery game was initiated that funded the advancement of the state's school system; the home rule for state cities was improved; and the judicial system was updated. After completing his term, King served as a justice on the New Hampshire Supreme Court from 1979 to 1986, serving as chief justice from 1981 to 1986.

Governor John W. King passed away on August 9, 1996, and was buried in the New St. Joseph's Cemetery in Bedford, New Hampshire.

1822 : Born: Joseph Hayden Potter, brigadier-general, was born in Concord, N. H., Oct. 12, 1822.

He was graduated at the United States military academy in 1843 and served in the military occupation of Texas and the Mexican war. He was engaged in the defense of Fort Brown, and for gallantry at Monterey, where he was severely injured while storming the enemy's works, he was brevetted 1st lieutenant. He was promoted 1st Lieutenant in 1847 and captain in 1856, serving until the latter year on garrison duty, and taking part subsequently in the Utah expedition.

He was on duty in Texas at the beginning of the Civil war and was captured by Confederates at San Augustine Springs, July 27, 1861, not being exchanged until Aug. 27, 1862. He was appointed colonel of the 12th N. H. volunteers on Sept. 22, and engaged in the Maryland and Rappahannock campaigns, commanding a brigade at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. He was severely wounded at Chancellorsville, and captured, and was held as a prisoner of war until October, 1863.

He was promoted major and transferred to the 19th infantry, July 4, 1863, was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for gallantry at Fredericksburg and colonel for services at Chancellorsville, and after returning to duty was on special duty for five months and then provost-marshal of Ohio until Sept., 1864. He was then assigned to a brigade in the 18th corps of the Army of the James, which he commanded at the assault on Fort Harrison.

From Dec. 1864, to Jan., 1865, he commanded a brigade in the 24th army corps, and was then chief- of-staff of that corps, being engaged in the attack on Hatcher's run and the subsequent operations until the surrender of Lee. He was brevetted brigadier-general in the regular army, March 13, 1865, for gallant and meritorious services in the final campaign, was commissioned brigadier-general in the volunteer army, May 1, 1865, and was mustered out of the volunteer service, Jan. 15, 1866.

He was promoted lieutenant- colonel in the 30th infantry, July 28, 1866, colonel in the 24th infantry, Dec. 1, 1873, and brigadier-general, April 1, 1886. After the war he commanded various posts and districts, was governor of the Soldiers' Home, Washington, D C., 1877-81, and commanded the Department of the Missouri from April to Oct. 12, 1886, when he was retired from active service Gen. Potter died in Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 1, 1892.

1915: Born - Wesley Powell, the eightieth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on October 13, 1915.

His education was attained at the University of New Hampshire, and at Southern Methodist College, where he earned a law degree in 1940. During World War II, he served in the Bomber Command of the Army Air Corps, European Theater of Operations, and was wounded, and later honored for his heroic service. After his military duty, he returned to his position as legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Styles Bridges.

He also established a legal practice in Hampton Falls and Manchester. Powell first entered politics in 1950, as an unsuccessful senatorial candidate. He also lost his 1956 gubernatorial bid. However, he was successful in his 1958 campaign, as well as in his 1960 reelection bid.

During his tenure, state agencies were consolidated; an increase in taxes was opposed; and tourism was promoted. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Powell retired from political life. He stayed active, practicing law, as well as owning and editing the Hampton Union and Rockingham County Gazette, a weekly newspaper. Governor Wesley Powell passed away on January 6, 1981.

1833 - Born: Charles H Bartlett - NH State Senate President - 1883

Charles Henry Bartlett (October 15, 1833 – January 25, 1900) was an American lawyer and politician who served as Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire and as a member and Presidentof the New Hampshire Senate.

Bartlett was born in Sunapee, New Hampshire on October 15, 1833.

Bartlett married Hannah M. Eastmen of Croydon, New Hampshire on December 8, 1858. Hannah Bartlett died on July 25, 1890.[1] They had two children, a daughter Clara Bell Bartlett, and a son Charles Leslie Bartlett.

In June 1857, Bartlett was appointed clerk of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. Bartlett was elected Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire in 1872. He resigned in February 1873 because of a federal government policy that barred officers from holding state or municipal offices.

CharlesBartlett died in Manchester on January 25, 1900

Charles H Bartlett NH State House Portrait

Charles H Bartlett NH State House Portrait Plate

1839: Born - Chester B. Jordan, the fifty-seventh governor of New Hampshire, was born in Colebrook, New Hampshire.

His education was attained at Colebrook Academy, and later he attended Kimball Union Academy, graduating in 1866. He became the owner of the Coos Republican in 1870, where he wrote several of the political and historical pieces for the paper. Jordan also taught school for several years, as well as serving as principal and superintendent of schools for Colebrook.

After studying law, Jordan was admitted to the bar in 1875, and then went on to establish his legal career. In 1868 he started his career as a public servant, serving as the Coos County Court clerk. He also served on Governor Straw’s staff from 1872 to 1873; was a member and speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1880 to 1882; and served as a member and president of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1896 to 1898.

Jordan next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1900. During his tenure, the state deficit was reduced; the state’s court system was restructured with ten new judicial appointments; and a boundary issue between New Hampshire and Massachusetts was settled. After completing his term, Jordan retired from political office.

He stayed active in his legal practice, as well as becoming involved in the banking industry, and with the preservation of the state’s historical records. Governor Chester B. Jordan passed away on August 24, 1914 in Lancaster, New Hampshire.

Chester B Jordon NH State House Portrait

Chester B Jordon NH State House Portrait Plate

1837 - Born: Hiram A. Tuttle, the fifty-second governor of New Hampshire, was born in Barnstead, New Hampshire .

His education was attained in the public schools of his native state. Tuttle established a successful career as a businessman, with holdings in the lumber, banking, mercantile, and railroad industries. He first entered politics in 1860, serving as the town clerk of Pittsfield. From 1873 to 1874 he served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives; and from 1875 to 1877 he was an aide de staff to Governor Cheney.

He also was a member of the Governor’s Council from 1878 to 1881; and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1888. Tuttle next secured the 1890 Republican gubernatorial nomination. After a close popular election, the legislature named Tuttle the legal governor.

During his tenure, a new state library was established at Concord; railroad problems were addressed; and an agricultural school was initiated in Durham. After completing his term, Tuttle retired from politics. Governor Hiram A. Tuttle passed away in Pittsfield on February 10, 1911.

Hiram A Tuttle NH State House Portrait Plate

1803 - Born: John Sullivan Wells, a Senator from New Hampshire in Durham, Strafford County, N.H., October 18, 1803.

John attended Pembroke (N.H.) Academy; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1828 and practiced in Guildhall, Vt., 1828-1835; moved to Lancaster, N.H., in 1836 and continued the practice of law until 1846; solicitor of Coos County 1838-1847; moved to Exeter, Rockingham County, N.H., and resumed the practice of law.

A member, State house of representatives 1839-1841, serving as speaker in 1841; attorney general of New Hampshire 1847; member and president of the State senate 1851-1852.

He wasappointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Moses Norris and served from January 16 to March 3, 1855; died in Exeter, N.H., August 1, 1860; interment in Exeter Cemetery, Exeter, Rockingham County, N.H.

1805 - Born John Randall Reding : Represented New Hampshire in Congress from 1841 - 1844.

A Representative from New Hampshire; born in Portsmouth, N.H., October 18, 1805; attended the common schools; was apprenticed to the printer’s trade and subsequently became an editor; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Congresses (March 4, 1841-March 3, 1845)

He was anaval storekeeper at Portsmouth 1853-1858; mayor of Portsmouth in 1860; member of the State house of representatives 1867-1870; died in Portsmouth, N.H., October 8, 1892; interment in Haverhill Cemetery, Haverhill, N.H.

1862 - Born:Leslie Perkins Snow (October 19, 1862 – March 1934) was a Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court from 1921 to 1932.

Born in Eaton, New Hampshire, Snow became a schoolteacher by the age of 16. He received a BA from Dartmouth College and a law degree from George Washington University (then called Columbian College) in 1891. He gained admission to the bar in Maryland in 1891, and in New Hampshire the following year. He became prominent in law and business.

Snow served in the New Hampshire Senate, becoming President of the Senate by 1921; on April 8, 1921, Governor Albert O. Brown announced Snow's nomination to the state supreme court.

Snow retired from the court in 1932 at the mandatory age of 70, and two years later died in his home from a heart attack.

Leslie P Snow New Hampshire State House Portrait

Leslie P Snow New Hampshire State House Portrait Plate

1817:Born: Mason Weare Tappan, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Newport, Sullivan County, N.H., October 20, 1817.

He moved to Bradford, N.H., with his parents; attended private schools and the Hopkinton and Meriden Academies; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1841 and commenced practice in Bradford, N.H.; served in the state house of representatives 1853-1855.

He was elected as an American Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress and reelected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1855-March 3, 1861); chairman, Committee on Claims (Thirty-sixth Congress); was not a candidate for renomination in 1860.

During the Civil War served in the Union Army as colonel of the First Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry; again a member of the state house of representatives in 1860 and 1861; resumed the practice of law; appointed attorney general of the state in 1876, which position he held until his death in Bradford, Merrimack County, N.H., October 25, 1886; interment in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.

1835 - Born: George Hamilton Perkins was born 20 October 1835 at Hopkinton, New Hampshire.

Appointed acting midshipman in October 1851, he was graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with the Class of 1856. During the late 1850s, Midshipman Perkins served in the sloop-of-war Cyane, the storeship Release and the steamer Sumpter. He attained the ranks of master in 1859 and lieutenant in February 1861, on the eve of the Civil War. Perkins spent the first months of the Civil War in Sumpter, operating on anti-slavery patrols.

Under Admiral Farragut, he participated in the passing of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, the capture of Governor Moore and three ships of the Montgomery Flotilla, and the surrender of New Orleans in April 1862. He also fought at Port Hudson and Whitehall’s River in July 1862, at the capture of Mary Sorley and Tennessee, the Battle of Mobile Bay, and at Forts Powell, Gaines, and Morgan in August 1864. Following the Civil War, Lieutenant Commander Perkins served as Superintendent of Ironclads at New Orleans, executive officer of the steam sloop Lackawanna in the North Pacific, and had ordnance duty at the Boston Navy Yard.

Promoted to the rank of Commander in early 1871, he spent the next decade as Commanding Officer of the storeship Relief and gunboat Ashuelot and had further shore duty at Boston. Perkins was promoted to captain in 1882 and commanded the Pacific Station flagship USS Hartford during the mid-1880s. In 1991, he was transferred to the Retired List but in 1896 received a Congressionally authorized promotion to the retired rank of commodore in recognition of his gallantry and skill during the Battle of Mobile Bay three decades earlier. Commodore Perkins died at Boston on 28 October 1899. A large statue of him was erected on the grounds of the New Hampshire State Capitol at Concord.

Following Perkins' death in 1899 the family asked the State to accept a statue of him made by the noted American sculptor Daniel Chester French (1835 - 1899). Governor and Council voted (November 22, 1899) to accept the family's offer, and to provide space for the statue on State House grounds.

The architect for the memorial was Henry Bacon; the statue was cast by the Henry Bonnard Bronze Company; and the memorial was dedicated April 25, 1902. More than ten thousand persons were present for the dedication, including representatives of President Theodore Roosevelt. The memorial at that time stood more than fifty feet from the State House, so that the crowd could see the monument "in the round"; a plaque honoring the donors is attached to the rear of the monument. When the State House was enlarged for the third time, in 1910, the walls of the State House came out to the memorial. The dedication plaque is no longer visible.

George H Perkins New Hampshire State House Portrait

George H Perkins New Hampshire State House Portrait Plate

George H Perkins New Hampshire State House Statue

1815: Walter A. Wood was born in Mason, New Hampshire on October 23, 1815. His father was a wagon and plow manufacturer. At age one the family moved to Rensselaerville, New York.

During his early years, he worked in his father’s shop. At age twenty-one (1836), he moved to Hoosick Falls where he worked as a blacksmith for Parsons & Wilder. He was a blacksmith by trade and became an excellent machinist. After four years he moved to Nashville, Tennessee to work as a carriage maker. (1840) In 1842, he moved back to Hoosick Falls and married Bessie Parsons, daughter of Seth Parsons. Seth Parsons had been his employer from 1836-1840. He and John White operated a small foundry and machine shop under the name of White and Wood. In 1852, he became interested in a reaper patented by John Manny of Illinois. He purchased shop rights for the New York territory. He divided the purchased territory with Chandler Ball and J. Russell Parsons.

Wood represented the western part of the state. The other two represented the eastern part of the state. They both started the manufacturing of the reaper in separate shops. In 1860, the Ball and Parsons Reaper Company burned to the ground. Russell Parsons went to work for Wood. Walter A. Wood purchased the Tremont Cotton Factory in 1855 to increase the production of the reaper. In 1852, he built two reapers and by 1858-59 he was producing 5,000 per year. In 1860, the plant was destroyed by fire. He immediately constructed a new plant. In July 1857, the Wood Reaper won first prize by the Syracuse Agricultural Society. In 1861, he patented the “chain rake reaper” that was so unique that it caught the attention of farmers all over the world. A mower was added as well as improvements on all the machines manufactured. By 1865, his reapers and mowers were so successful that financial people became interested in the Wood Company.

In 1866, the company was organized as a stock company and called the “Walter A. Wood Mowing and Reaper Machine Company.” Walter A. Wood was President, William Tibbets, Vice President and Willard Gay, Treasurer. The second large fire destroyed much of the Wood factory in 1870. They used the Caledonia Mill Building while the factory was being rebuilt. The output of the factory was about 8,000 units during this time. By 1890 the output had increased to approximately 90,000 units. During this time, the reapers and mowers won medals all over the world. (1862: Medal of Merit in England; 1867: Iron and Gold medal in Paris; 1873: medal in Vienna)

The factory grew continuously and employment grew as Hoosick Falls prospered with the successful plant. His wife Bessie died. They had one child, Lynn P. Wood. In 1868, he married Elizabeth Warren Nicholls and had two children. A boy named Walter, Jr and a girl named Julia. The following is provided by David W Babington Aug, 2007: His second wife's name was Elizabeth Warren Nicholls (spelled commonly now as Nichols), daughter of George Huntington Nicholls (1818, Stratford, CT - 1902, Hoosick Falls, NY) and Julia Louisa Phelps (1818, New York, NY - 1892, Hoosick Falls, NY). Elizabeth Warren Nicholls (Wood) was born 24 Apr 1845 in Hartford, NY.

The date of the Walter A Wood marriage to Elizabeth Warren Nicholls was 2 Sep 1868 at the St. Mark's Church in Hoosick Falls. I am not sure when Elizabeth Warren Nicholls (Wood) died, but she could have died in Hoosick Falls. In 1873, they built a large mansion modeled after an English castle. Beautiful gardens were located toward the rear and extended to a large pond. The entrance to the mansion had a large metal fence that surrounded the front, which is now the Woods Park without the fence. They owned more than 1,000 acres that extended into East Hoosick. They operated a large farm. Walter A. Wood started the First National Bank of Hoosick Falls.

He was elected to the House of Representatives in the 46th and 47th Troy district. (1878-1882) He was President of the Board of Education, as well as President of the Village. He was a vestryman at St. Marks Church and was a generous giver to all denominations. Mr. Wood came down with pneumonia and died in 1892 at the age of 77. The factory was shut down and all works lined the streets as his funeral processional passed toward burial. He is buried in the old Maple Grove Cemetery at the back part of the Cemetery

Born - 1816: Jonathan E Sargent in New London, New Hampshire

Jonathan was an American lawyer and politician who served as the Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, as the President of the New Hampshire Senate and as the Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court of Judicature.

Jonathan was "Fitted" for college at the academy at Hopkinton, NH and ad Kimball Union Academy. He graduated at Dartmouth college in 1840 while teaching school at Canaan, NH.

Following college, Sargent read law at Canaan, NH, but he taught school outside Washington, DC during 1841 and 1842 and was admitted to the D.C. Bar in April 1842. He then returned to Canaan and became a prtner with Wm. P. Weeks and was admitted to the New Hampshire Bar in July, 1843. Sargent practiced in Wentworth, NH 1847-1869, while serving as a state senator in 1854./

In 1855, the "Know-Nothing" party swept state political offices, campaigning against immigration. Governor Ralph Metcalf (1855-1857) recognized Sargent's abilities and made him an associate justice of the court of common pleas in 1855. When the legislature abolished the court July 1859, Sargent became an associate justice of the new state Supreme judicial court, and chief justice in 1873.

The Legislature was carried by the Democrats in 1874, and the state Supreme judicial court was abolished. Sargent moved to Concord, NH and practiced law and was made Grand Master of the Masons. He served as President of the Loan & Trust Savings Bank, and as an officer of the New Hampshire Historical Society. He died on January 6, 1890.

Jonathan E Sargent NH State House Portrait

1827 - Born James Franklin Briggs: Represented New Hampshire in Congress 1877-1882.

(Father of Frank Obadiah Briggs), a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Bury, Lancashire, England, October 23, 1827; immigrated to the United States in 1829 with his parents, who settled in Holderness (now Ashland), N.H.; attended the common schools and Newbury Academy;

He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1851 and practiced in Hillsboro, N.H., until 1871; moved to Manchester, N.H.; member of the State house of representatives 1856-1858 and in 1874; during the Civil War served as major of the Eleventh Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry; served in the State senate in 1876;

He was lected as a Republican to the Forty-fifth, Forty-sixth, and Forty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1877-March 3, 1883); chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War (Forty-seventh Congress); was not a candidate for renomination in 1882.

Heresumed the practice of law; again a member of the State house of representatives in 1883, 1891, and 1897, serving as speaker in 1897; delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1889; died in Manchester, N.H., January 21, 1905; interment in Green Grove Cemetery, Ashland, Grafton County, N.H

1809: Born - Daniel Clark - a Senator from New Hampshire in Stratham, N.H., October 24, 1809

He attended the common schools, Hampton Academy, and Union College, Schenectady, N.Y.; graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1834; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1837 and commenced practice in Epping, N.H.; moved to Manchester in 1839; member, State house of representatives 1842-1843, 1846, 1854-1855

He was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James Bell; reelected in 1861, and served from June 27, 1857, to July 27, 1866, when he resigned; served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Thirty-eighth Congress; chairman, Committee on Claims (Thirty-seventh through Thirty-ninth Congresses); United States district judge from 1866 until his death.

He waspresident of the New Hampshire constitutional convention in 1876; died in Manchester, N.H., on January 2, 1891; interment in Valley Cemetery.

1829: Born - Christopher Columbus Andrews - As a Union brigadier general, Christopher Columbus Andrews distinguished himself in numerous military campaigns in Arkansas.

After the Civil War, he had a successful career as an author and diplomat. Born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, on October 27, 1829, to Luther Andrews and Nabby Beard Andrews, Christopher Columbus Andrews attended Francestown Academy and studied law both privately and at Harvard University. Andrews passed the Massachusetts bar examination in 1850 and, soon thereafter, migrated to Kansas Territory, where he advocated for Kansas’s admission as a free state. Andrews moved to Minnesota in 1856, where he established a law practice and published a series of letters based on his travels throughout the territory. He discussed the area’s Native American culture and championed its potential for economic and political development. In 1859, he won election to the state Senate as a Democrat.

During the 1860 election, he supported Stephen A. Douglas and was nominated as a presidential elector for Minnesota. In 1861, Andrews operated the Minnesota Union newspaper, which supported the incoming administration of Abraham Lincoln. At the start of the Civil War, Andrews initially enlisted as a private in the Third Minnesota Infantry but quickly earned promotion to captain of Company I. Captured along with most of the regiment at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on July 15, 1862, Andrews was exchanged in October. In the subsequent regimental reorganization, Andrews earned promotion to lieutenant colonel and served throughout the Vicksburg Campaign. For services at Vicksburg, Mississippi, he was promoted to colonel on July 15, 1863, and subsequently commanded a brigade during the Little Rock Campaign. Despite a bout with malaria, he served as post commander after the surrender of Little Rock (Pulaski County).

His strong support of the Unionist population helped facilitate the state’s third constitution in the spring of 1864, which laid important groundwork for the state’s eventual readmission to the Union under the fourth constitution ratified in 1868. On April 1, 1864, as part of Major General Frederick Steele’s Camden Expedition, Andrews defeated Brigadier General Dandridge McRae in the Action at Fitzhugh’s Woods. He was promoted to brigadier general on June 13, 1864, commanding the Second Division of the Seventh Army Corps. In April 1865, he participated in Major General Edward R. S. Canby’s siege of Fort Blakely, Alabama, during the Mobile Campaign. In March 1865, Andrews earned a brevet promotion as major general of volunteers for gallant and meritorious service during the war.

Andrews then commanded the district of Mobile, Alabama, and helped implement initial Reconstruction policies in Houston, Texas. Andrews received an honorable discharge on January 15, 1866, and resumed his law practice in St. Cloud, Minnesota. In 1867, he authored a history of the Mobile Campaign. In 1868, he married Mary Frances Baxter of Central City, Colorado. After a change in his party affiliation, Andrews served as a Minnesota delegate to the 1868 Republican National Convention. He was appointed as U.S. Minister to Denmark in April 1869 but instead accepted an appointment as U.S. Minister to Sweden and Norway, residing in Stockholm.

He served until 1877, lobbying for improved protection for shipboard emigrants and reporting on educational and forestry practices. His only child, Alice Ebba Andrews, was born in Sweden in 1869. In 1880, Andrews became principal owner and editor of the St. Paul Daily Evening Dispatch but returned to diplomatic service from 1882 to 1885 with an appointment as U.S. Consul General in Rio de Janeiro. From 1895 to 1911, he served as Minnesota chief fire-warden and advocated scientific methods of forestry and forest management.

The General C. C. Andrews State Forest in Pine County, Minnesota, was established in 1943 as an outdoor recreation area and preserve for jack pine and red pine. In 1916, Andrews authored Minnesota’s Civil War monuments commission report on recommendations for state monuments in national military cemeteries in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia. The commission supervised the design and creation of each monument. Andrews and other members of the commission dedicated and unveiled the monument at the Little Rock National Cemetery in a public ceremony on September 22, 1916. Andrews died on September 21, 1923, and is buried at Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul, Minnesota

1834 - Born on this day: William Tilton. Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient.

He served in the Union Army as a Sergeant in Company C, 7th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for action during the Richmond Campaign, Virginia.

His citation reads "Gallant conduct in the field." The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant William Tilton, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 1864, while serving with Company C, 7th New Hampshire Infantry, in action at Richmond Campaign, Virginia, for gallant conduct in the field. General Orders: Date of Issue: February 20, 1884 Action Date: 1864

William Tilton, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient

1853: Born - Frank Dunklee Currier, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Canaan, Grafton County, N.H., October 30, 1853;

Frank attended the common schools, Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, N.H., and Doctor Hixon’s School, Lowell, Mass.; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1874 and commenced practice in Canaan, N.H.; member of the State house of representatives in 1879; secretary of the Republican State committee 1882-1890

He was clerk of the State senate in 1883 and 1885; delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1884; member of the State senate in 1887 and served as president of that body; naval officer of customs at the port of Boston, Mass., 1890-1894; speaker of the State house of representatives in 1899

Elected as a Republican to the Fifty-seventh and to the five succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1901-March 3, 1913); chairman, Committee on Patents (Fifty-eighth through Sixty-first Congresses); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1912 to the Sixty-third Congress; retired from public life; died in Canaan, N.H., November 25, 1921; interment in Canaan Street Cemetery

Frank Durklee Currier NH State House Portrait

Frank Durklee Currier NH State House Portrait Plate

1869 - Born:Huntley N. Spaulding, the seventieth governor of New Hampshire and brother of New Hampshire Governor Rolland H. Spaulding, was born in Townsend Harbor, Massachusetts on October 30, 1869.

His education was attained at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where he graduated in 1889. He went to work in the family’s fiberboard business, and eventually expanded the company with branches in New York, New Hampshire, and England. Spaulding first entered politics in 1900, serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. He also was chairman of the New Hampshire Food Production Committee; was the New Hampshire federal food administrator in 1917; and served as chairman of the European Relief Council. From 1921 to 1926 he presided over the State Board of Education.

Spaulding next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote on November 2, 1926. During his tenure, state agencies were managed more efficiently; and problems resulting from a devastating flood were dealt with. After leaving the governorship, Spaulding retired from political life. He returned to his various business interests, as well as becoming involved in philanthropic work.

He also presided over the board of trustees for Tufts College, Lawrence Academy, and Tilton School. In 1944 he received the University of New Hampshire’s Charles Holmes Pettee Memorial Medal for his extraordinary service both locally and nationally. Governor Huntley N. Spaulding, who established the Spaulding-Potter Charitable Trusts, passed away on November 14, 1955.

Huntley N Spaulding NH State House Portrait

Huntley N Spaulding NH State House Portrait Plate

1779 -Born: John Adams Harper, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Derryfield, N.H., November 2, 1779

John attended Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, N.H., in 1794; studied law; was admitted to the bar about 1802 and commenced practice in Sanbornton, N.H.; first postmaster of Sanbornton, N.H.

He moved to Meredith Bridge (now Laconia, Belknap County) in 1806; clerk of the State senate 1805-1808; member of the State house of representatives in 1809 and 1810; served in the State militia 1809-1812

He waselected as a Republican to the Twelfth Congress (March 4, 1811-March 3, 1813); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1812 to the Thirteenth Congress; died at Meredith Bridge, N.H., June 18, 1816; interment in Union Cemetery

1828: Born: Harris Merrill Plaisted, a Representative from Maine; born in Jefferson, Coos County, N.H., November 2, 1828;

He attended the common schools, and was graduated from Waterville (Maine) College in 1853 and from the Albany (N.Y.) Law School in 1856; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Bangor, Maine, in 1856; during the Civil War served in the Union Army and was commissioned lieutenant colonel of the Eleventh Regiment, Maine Infantry, October 30, 1861, and colonel May 12, 1862

Brevetted brigadier general of Volunteers February 21, 1865, and major general March 13, 1865; member of the State house of representatives in 1867 and 1868; delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1868; attorney general of Maine 1873-1875

Elected as a Republican to the Forty-fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Samuel F. Hersey and served from September 13, 1875, to March 3, 1877; was not a candidate for renomination in 1876; author of “Digest of Maine Reports from 1820 to 1880”; Governor of Maine 1881-1883; editor and publisher of the New Age, Augusta, from 1883 until his death in Bangor, Maine, January 31, 1898; interment in Mount Hope Cemetery.

HMS America Launched in Portsmouth NH - November 5, 1782

Born in Deerfield, New Hampshire on November 5, 1818, Benjamin Franklin Butler served as a major general in the Union Army during the Civil War. Prior to his Civil War service he was a lawyer and served in the Massachusetts state legislature.

Union Major General Benjamin F. Butler, who had arrived at Fort Monroe only two days before, determined that the U.S. Constitution and the Fugitive Slave Act did not affect another country, which Virginia claimed to be. Given that the freedom-seekers were property of a rebel colonel and were about to be used against the United States, Butler resolved that he would hold the enslaved men, hence property, as he “would for any other property of a private citizen which the exigencies of the service seemed to require to be taken by [him], and especially property that was designed, adapted and about to be used against the United States.”

Butler was a shrewd military leader and lawyer. His decision, which came to be known as the “Contraband Decision,” enabled thousands of enslaved people from states in rebellion to seek refuge behind Union lines. However, no existing law or policy supported his clever reasoning, which supplied the Union with able-bodied men capable and willing to support the Union. Despite the impact of his decision on slavery, Butler was not an abolitionist; he had voted for Jefferson Davis at the 1860 Democratic National Convention. Tellingly, his decision did not challenge the fundamental premise of slavery (people as property) and neglected a key question: Were these freedom-seekers now free?

Enslaved men who found their way to Fort Monroe quickly became known as “contrabands,” a term that marked their provisional state of being neither free nor enslaved. In subsequent months “contraband” was adopted into common use and signaled changing views of slavery in America. In the following years, Butler’s decision had resounding military, political, and social implications as well. It served as a forerunner to the First (1861) and Second Confiscation Acts (1862), the Militia Act (1862), the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), and, ultimately, the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1865), which outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the United States.

After the Civil War, Butler served as a Congressman and Chairman for the House Committee on Reconstruction. As committee chair, he authored the Klu Klux Klan Act of 1871 and co-authored, along with Senator Charles Sumner, the Civil Rights Act of 1875.

It was also after the Civil War he became the president and treasurer of the Board of Managers for the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. In 1870, he suggested a new branch be opened in the South to accommodate the U.S. Colored Troops and proposed that the location be near Fort Monroe. The Board of Managers’ search committee selected Butler’s land for the new branch. The Southern Branch is located at 100 Emancipation Drive in Hampton, Virginia. The Southern Branch has been documented by the National Park Service's Historic American Buildings Survey.

1828 Born: Joshua Gilman Hall, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Wakefield, Carroll County, N.H., November 5, 1828.

He attended Gilmanton Academy, and was graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1851; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1855 and practiced in Wakefield and Dover, N.H.; solicitor of the county of Strafford 1862-1874;

Mayor of Dover in 1866 and 1867; member of the State senate 1871 and 1872; served in the State house of representatives in 1874; attorney of the United States for the district of Hampshire from April 1874 to February 1879.

Elected as a Republican to the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1879-March 3, 1883); resumed the practice of his profession; died in Dover, Strafford County, N.H., on October 31, 1898; interment in Pine Hill Cemetery.

1809 - Born -Daniel Marcy, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Portsmouth, N.H., November 7, 1809

He attended the common schools; followed the sea and later engaged in shipbuilding; member of the State house of representatives 1854-1857; served in the State senate in 1857 and 1858; unsuccessful candidate for election to the Thirty-sixth Congress in 1858, and to the Thirty-seventh Congress in 1860

Elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1863-March 3, 1865); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1864 to the Thirty-ninth Congress; again served in the State senate in 1871 and 1872; died in Portsmouth, N.H., November 3, 1893; interment in Proprietors’ Burying Ground.

1887: Born - Robert O. Blood, the seventy-fifth Governor of New Hampshire, was born in Enfield, New Hampshire on November 10, 1887.

His education was attained at Dartmouth College, where he earned both a bachelor degree, as well as a medical degree. During World War I, he served in the U.S. Medical Corps as a lieutenant, and was awarded medals from both France and Britain. After establishing a successful medical practice, Blood entered into politics.

He served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1935 to 1936; and was a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1937 to 1940, serving as president of the senate from 1939 to 1940. Blood next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1940.

He won reelection to a second term in 1942. During his tenure, World War II measures were initiated, such as the rationing of gasoline and the creation of the state council of defense. Also, a state employees' classification system was set-up; a biennial budget plan was implemented; and the state deficit was eliminated.

After completing his term, Blood ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. congressional seat in 1946. He continued to stay politically active, serving as a member of the Republican National Conventions from 1944 to 1960. Governor Robert O. Blood passed away on August 3, 1975, and was buried in the Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord, New Hampshire.

Robert O Blood NH State House Portrait Plate

1792: born - Anthony Colby, the twenty-eighth governor of New Hampshire, was born in New London, New Hampshire on November 13, 1792.

His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. He went on to establish a successful business career, with accomplishments that included the initiation of a stage line, construction of a gristmill, and the launching of the scythe industry. Colby also had a long career in the military.

In 1814 he served as an ensign in the state militia, and by 1837 he attained the rank of major general. Colby first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1828 to 1832 and 1837 to 1839. He also ran unsuccessfully for a congressional seat in 1833 and 1835, and was defeated in his 1843, 1844 and 1845 gubernatorial campaigns. In 1846, Colby secured the Whig gubernatorial nomination, and went on to win the general election.

During his tenure, issues dealing with the Mexican War were addressed. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Colby left office, but continued to stay active in politics. He served again in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1860 to 1861; and was the state adjutant general from 1861 to 1863.

He also founded and funded the Colby-Sawyer College, and for twenty years served as a trustee for Dartmouth College. Governor Anthony Colby passed away on July 13, 1873, and was buried in the Old Main Street Cemetery in New London, New Hampshire.

Anthony Colby NH State House Portrait Plate

1804: Born - James Bell , a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Francistown, Hillsboro County, N.H., November 13, 1804;

James attended Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., and was graduated from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, in 1822; studied law at Litchfield Law School, Litchfield, Conn.; was admitted to the bar in 1825 and commenced practice in Gilmanton, N.H.;

He moved to Exeter in 1831 and to Gilford in 1846; member, New Hampshire house of representatives 1846-1850; delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1850; unsuccessful candidate for Governor of New Hampshire in 1854 and 1855;

Elected as a Republican to the United States Senate for the term beginning March 4, 1855, and served from July 30, 1855, until his death in Laconia, Belknap County, N.H., May 26, 1857; interment in Exeter Cemetery, Exeter, N.H.

James Bell - NH State House Portrait Plate

1845: Born - US Navy Rear Admiral Asa Walker in Portsmouth New Hampshire. Walker graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1866. After graduation he was assigned to the U.S.S. Sacramento and later was transferred to the Portsmouth Navy Yard on ordinance duty.

He was promoted to Ensign on March 12, 1868, Lieutenant on March 12, 1870, Lt. Commander on December 12, 1884, Commander on December 11, 1894 and Captain on September 8, 1899. During the Spanish America War Walker was one of Admiral Dewey's Commanders and on May 1, 1898 he took command
of the United States steamer Concord and participated in the Battle of Manila Bay.

He was advanced nine slots for "eminent and conspicuous conduct in the battle". From 1899 through 1900 Walker was on duty at the Naval War College in Newport, and from 1900 to 1901 was a member of the Naval Examining Board. From January, 1902 until November, 1903 he commanded the United States Steamer San Francisco.

In 1904 and 1905 he commanded the USS Wabash and on January 7, 1906 was promoted to Rear Admiral. In February, 1906 Walker was appointed Superintendent of the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. Walker retired in 1907 at the mandatory age of 62. At the time of his retirement he was the twelfth senior Admiral in the Navy

1781 - Born: Lieutenant Jonathan Eastman in Concord, New Hampshire

Veteran of the War OF 1812 where he joined the 21st Infantry, commanded by Colonel James Miller. Eastman fought in the 1814 Battles of Niagara and Erie, and served as a Lieutenant, Captain and Paymaster.

Returning to Concord, Eastman played an active role in the life of his community. He was for ten years County Treasurer (1830 - 1839). He was a director of the Sewall's Falls Lock and Canal Company (founded 1833), and a trustee of the New Hampshire Savings Bank (Founded 1830).

He served on the Concord schools committee for many years, and was honored by his contemporaries for his public service.

Lieutenant Jonathan Eastman NH State House Portrait

1906 Born: Lane Dwinell, the seventy-ninth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Newport, Vermont, on November 14, 1906.

His education was attained at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1928, and then at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, where he earned an M.C.S. degree in 1929. After working for General Motors, Dwinell became a partner in the Carter and Churchill Company, and eventually became the company sole's owner.

He first entered politics in 1948, serving as a member of the New Hampshire Constitutional Convention. He also served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1949 to 1952; was speaker of the house from 1951 to 1952; and was a member and president of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1953 to 1954.

Dwinell next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1954. He won reelection to a second term in 1956. During his tenure, state salaries were increased; highways and roads were advanced; the state's accounting system was restructured; and a hundred new schools were developed.

After leaving office, Dwinell served as a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1956, 1968, and 1972. He later worked for the federal agency for International Development, a position he held from 1969 to 1971. Governor Lane Dwinell passed away on March 27, 1997 in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Lane Dwinell NH State House Portrait Plate

1755: Born - James Sheafe, a Representative and a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Portsmouth, N.H., November 16, 1755; completed preparatory studies and graduated from Harvard College in 1774.

Engaged in mercantile pursuits; member, State house of representatives 1788-1790; member, State senate 1791, 1793, 1799; member, State executive council 1799.

He waselected as a Federalist to the Sixth Congress (March 4, 1799-March 3, 1801); elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1801, until his resignation on June 14, 1802; unsuccessful candidate for governor of New Hampshire in 1816; died in Portsmouth, Rockingham County, N.H., December 5, 1829; interment in St. John’s Church Cemetery.

James Sheafe NH State House Portrait Plate

1823: Born: Charles H Bell in Chester New Hampshire. Charles H. Bell, the forty-seventh governor of New Hampshire, was born in Chester, New Hampshire on November 18, 1823.

His education was attained at Pembroke Academy, at Phillips Exeter Academy, and at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1844. After studying law, Bell established his legal career, serving as the prosecuting attorney for Rockingham County from 1856 to 1866. He also became involved in the literary world.

He was the editor of the Exeter News Letter for a number of years, and was the author of several historical books. Bell entered politics in 1858, serving as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held until 1860, and from which he also served as speaker in 1860.

He also served as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1863 to 1864; was senate president in 1864; and served as a member of the U.S. Senate from March 1879 to June 1879. Bell next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in the 1881 general election.

During his tenure, a state board of health was created; and a liquor prohibition bill was promoted. After completing his term, Bell retired from political life. He stayed active, returning to his literary pursuits and his legal interests. Governor Charles H. Bell passed away on November 11, 1893, and was buried in the Exeter Cemetery in Exeter, New Hampshire.

Charles Bell NH State House Portrait Plate

1923:

Alan B. Shepard was born November 18, 1923, in East Derry, New Hampshire and died on July 21, 1998.

He attended primary and secondary schools in East Derry and Derry, New Hampshire; received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1944, an Honorary Master of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1962, and Honorary Doctorate of Science from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) in 1971, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Franklin Pierce College in 1972. Graduated Naval Test Pilot School in 1951; Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island in 1957.

He was awarded the congressional Medal of Honor (Space), two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the Navy Astronaut Wings, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, and the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross. He was a recipient of the Langley Medal (highest award of the Smithsonian Institution) on May 5, 1964, the Lambert Trophy, the Kinchloe Trophy, the Cabot Award, the Collier Trophy, the City of New York Gold Medal (1971), and the achievement Award for 1971.

Shepard was appointed by the President in July 1971 as a delegate to the 26th United Nations General Assembly and served through the entire assembly which lasted from September to December 1971. Rear Admiral Shepard was one of the Mercury astronauts named by NASA in April 1959, and he holds the distinction of being the first American to journey into space. On May 5, 1961, in the Freedom 7 spacecraft, he was launched by a Redstone vehicle on a ballistic trajectory suborbital flight--a flight which carried him to an altitude of 116 statute miles and to a landing point 302 statute miles down the Atlantic Missile Range.

1729 - Born: Josiah Bartlett- New Hampshire Governor From 1790 - 1794.Josiah Bartlett was born at Amesbury, Massachusetts.

He studied the science of medicine, and practiced as a physician at Kingston, in New Hampshire. He became involved in politics and was elected a member of the Colonial Legislature. He was noted as a principled legislator, not susceptible to pressure from the Royal Governor, and as an active advocate against British oppression. He was a member of a Committee of Safety, and served as commander of a militia regiment in 1775.

In that year he was also elected to represent New Hampshire in the Continental Congress. He voted for independence, and was the first to sign the Declaration, after John Hancock. He continued to serve in 1777 and participated in the ratification of the Articles of Confederation. He later filled the offices of Judge of Common Pleas and of the Supreme Court of his state, and joined the federal Constitutional Convention in 1787. He was elected president, and then governor, of New Hampshire. He died May 19, 1795.

1798 - Born: Ralph Metcalf - Governor of New Hampshire from 1855 - 1857.

Ralph was born in Charlestown, New Hampshire on November 21, 1798. His education was attained at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1823.

He studied law, and then established his legal career in New York and New Hampshire. Metcalf first entered politics in 1831, serving as the New Hampshire secretary of state, a position he held five years. From 1838 to 1840 he clerked for U.S. Secretary of Treasury Woodbury; and from 1845 to 1851 served as the Sullivan County register of probate. He also presided over the 1850 committee that compiled state laws, as well as serving as a member of the New Hampshire legislature in 1852 and 1853.

Metcalf next secured the Know-Nothing gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1855. He was reelected to a second term in 1856. During his tenure, stronger immigration laws were lobbied for; and a liquor prohibition bill was sanctioned.

After completing his term, Metcalf retired from political life. Governor Ralph Metcalf passed away on August 26, 1858, and was buried in the Hope Hill Cemetery in North Charlestown, New Hampshire.

Ralph Metcalf NH State House Portrait Plate

1917 - Born: Hugh Gregg. The seventy-eighth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Nashua, New Hampshire on November 22, 1917.

His education was attained at Phillips Exeter Academy, at Yale University, where he graduated in 1939, and at Harvard University, where he earned his law degree in 1942.

Gregg served in both World War II and the Korean War, as a special agent with the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps. After establishing his legal career, Gregg entered politics as an alderman-at-large in 1947. He also served as the mayor of Nashua in 1950. Gregg next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1952.

During his tenure, the New Hampshire "whooper week" was created to promote the state's industrial and agricultural resources, as well as it' tourism programs. After completing his term, Gregg made three unsuccessful gubernatorial bids. He then entered the private sector, founding the Library and Archives of New Hampshire Political Tradition. He also stayed active in defending the New Hampshire first-in-the-nation presidential primary. Governor Hugh Gregg passed away on September 24, 2003.

Hugh Gregg NH State House Portrait Plate

1804: Born - Franklin Pierce - 14th US President. Born in Hillsborough, N.H., November 23, 1804;

Franklin attended the academies of Hancock and Francestown, N.H.; prepared for college at Exeter and graduated from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, in 1824; studied law; admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Hillsborough in 1827; member, State general court 1829-1833, and served as speaker 1832-1833.

Elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1833-March 3, 1837); elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1837, to February 28, 1842, when he resigned; chairman, Committee on Pensions (Twenty-sixth Congress); resumed the practice of law in Concord; district attorney for New Hampshire.

He declined the appointment as Attorney General of the United States tendered by President James Polk; served in the Mexican War as a colonel and brigadier general; member of the New Hampshire State constitutional convention in 1850 and served as its president,

He waselected President of the United States on the Democratic ticket and served from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1857; resumed the practice of law; died in Concord, N.H., October 8, 1869; interment in Minat Inclosure, Old North Cemetery.

1842 - Born: Charles A. Busiel, the fifty-fourth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Meredith Village, New Hampshire on November 24, 1842.

His education was attained at the Gilford Academy and in the public schools of his native state. He went to work in the family’s hosiery mill, and eventually established his own successful hosiery manufacturing company. He also expanded his business interests with holdings in the railroad, banking and publishing industries. Busiel first entered politics as a Democratic member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1878 to 1879. He also served as a delegate to the 1880 Democratic National Convention. Busiel became disillusioned with the Democrats’ stand on the protective tariff issue, and consequently switched his political affiliation.

As a Republican, he was elected mayor of Laconia in 1892 and 1893. He next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1894. During his tenure, sound financial programs were initiated in an effort to counter the state’s declining economy. Also, electric trolley service was promoted, as well as the expansion of railroad service. After completing his term, Busiel ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. Governor Charles A. Busiel passed away on August 29, 1901, and was entombed in the Union Cemetery Mausoleum in Laconia, New Hampshire.

Charles A. Busiel NH State House Portrait

Charles A. Busiel NH State House Portrait Plate

John Lynch was born on November 25, 1952 in Waltham, Massachusetts .

He and his five siblings grew up in Waltham, Massachusetts. He and his wife, Dr. Susan Lynch, later settled in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. Lynch earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1974, a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

After serving as President of the Lynch Group and as Chief Executive Officer of Knoll Inc., this American businessman-turned-Democratic politician launched a successful campaign for Governor of New Hampshire. Lynch was first elected governor in 2004, defeating first-term Republican incumbent Craig Benson – the first time a first-term incumbent New Hampshire governor was defeated for re-election in 78 years.

Lynch won re-election in landslide victories in 2006 and 2008. On November 4, 2008, he was elected to a third term in another landslide victory. Lynch worked with the state Attorney General, police chiefs, and lawmakers to pass sex offender laws; increase the state police force; and increase the number of state prosecutors.

New Hampshire was rated the “Safest State” in the Nation in 2008 and 2009. New Hampshire again boasts the nation’s lowest murder rate and the second-lowest rates for aggravated assault. Governor Lynch comfortably won a fourth term in 2010.

1820- Born: Nathaniel Gordon in Exeter, New Hampshire. NH State Senate President in 1870.

Nathaniel Gordon was born and died in Exeter, New Hampshire. He entered Phillips Exeter Academy at thirteen, and Dartmouth College as a sophomore. As a Dartmouth undergraduate (Class of 1841) Gordon taught school in the Winter Terms for each of the three years. After graduation he continued teaching at schools at Flushing, NY and Baltimore Maryland (1841-1842). He spent the next 2 years as a tutor for a family living in Maryland and he read Law while tutoring. In 1844, Gordon was admitted to the Maryland Bar and he practiced law in various county courts before returning to Exeter NH in 1847. Gordon practiced law in Exeter for the rest of his life.

Gordon served as Secretary and Treasurer of Rockingham Farmers' Mutual Life Insurance Company (1849 - 1857). He was a state Representative (1849-1850) and State Senator (1869 - 1870). In 1870, Gordon was President of the NH Senate. During the Civil War, Gordon invested all the money he had or could borrow in U.S. Government securities.

When the Union Army won in 1865, Gordon became a wealthy man. For the rest of his life he made substantial contributions to educational "Institutions" and Christian missions in the American Wes and in China. He contributed to student scholarships and to endowment funds. In 1880, Gordon contributed substantially to help former U.S. Grant avert bankruptcy.

Nathaniel Gordon NH State House Portrait

1759: Born - Jeremiah Smith, the ninth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Peterborough, New Hampshire on November 29, 1759.

His education was attained at Harvard University and Rutgers College in New Jersey, where he graduated in 1780. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1786, and then established his legal career in his hometown of Peterborough. Smith served in the Revolutionary War, and was wounded in the Bennington Battle. He first entered public service as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1787 to 1791. He served as a member of the 1791 and 1792 constitutional conventions; was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1791 to 1797; and served as the U.S. district attorney for New Hampshire from 1797 to 1800. He also served as probate judge of Rockingham County from 1800 to 1802; was a U.S. circuit court judge from 1801 to 1802; and served as chief justice of the New Hampshire superior court from 1802 to 1809.

Smith next won election to the governorship in 1809. During his tenure, judicial reforms were lobbied for; and Dartmouth's medical school was advanced. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Smith returned to his legal career. From 1813 to 1816 he served as chief justice of the state supreme court. He also was co-counsel with Daniel Webster and Jeremiah Mason in the well-known 1819 Dartmouth College case. Governor Jeremiah Smith passed away on September 21, 1842, and was buried in the Winter Street Cemetery in Exeter, New Hampshire.

1762: Born - Clifton Clagett, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Portsmouth, N.H., December 3, 1762

He studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Litchfield in 1787; elected as a Federalist to the Eighth Congress (March 4, 1803-March 3, 1805); appointed a justice of the peace and quorum in 1808; appointed judge of probate for Hillsborough County in 1810 and served until his resignation in 1812, having been appointed to a judicial position.

Hemoved to Amherst in 1812; appointed a judge of the supreme court in 1812; member of the State house of representatives in 1816; elected as a Republican to the Fifteenth Congress and reelected to the Sixteenth Congress (March 4, 1817-March 3, 1821); appointed judge of probate August 5, 1823, and held the office until his death in Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, January 25, 1829

1826: Born - John Benjamin Sanborn - American military officer: b. Epsom, N. H., 5 Dec. 1826; d. 1904.

He was educated at Dartmouth College, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1854, and in that year removed to Saint Paul, Minn., where he engaged in law practice. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 he was adjutant-general and quartermaster-general of Minnesota and assisted in the organization of the troops sent to the front.

In 1862 he went to the front with the rank of colonel. He commanded a brigade at Iuka, was engaged at Corinth, Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hills, and at the siege and assault of Vicksburg. He had been commissioned brigadier-general of volunteers in 1863, and in October 1864 took command of the district of southwest Missouri.

He bore the unique record of never having been defeated in action and with the exception of the assault of Vicksburg, never failed of complete success. In 1867-68 was a member of the Indian Peace Commission. He served in the Minnesota legislature for several terms.

1835: Born - Wheelock V Veazey - Brentwood NH

Veazey received the Medal of Honor for his gallant leadership of the 16th Vermont during the battle. The regiment’s fame continues to this day for repelling Pickett’s Charge.

The Most Important Day

Wheelock Veazey was born Dec. 5, 1835, in Brentwood, N.H., the 10th child of Jonathan Veazey, Jr., and Anne Stevens Veazey.

The family moved to Exeter, N.H., in 1842. He attended Phillips Academy and, later, Dartmouth College. He was a good student but a prankster who was frequently disciplined. He once painted a portrait of Satan above the pulpit at the college chapel. After graduation he attended Albany Law School for a year and was admitted to the Vermont bar. When war broke out, he left his infant law practice in Springfield, Vt., to enlist.

On April 22, 1861, he wrote in his diary, This is probably the most important day of my life. May God bless our efforts & the Cause. Before his regiment left for the front, he took time out to marry Julia Beard, daughter of Albin Beard, owner of the Nashua Telegraph. “She seems perfect to me,” he wrote. Eight days after arriving in Virginia, then-Capt. Veazey fought in a skirmish in Lewinsville, Va. He was quickly noticed as a spirited and capable commander whose regiment had complete confidence in him. He was named to the court martial board that ordered the execution of the Sleeping Sentinel, who was later pardoned by President Abraham Lincoln.

Four months after enlisting as a private, Veazey was promoted to lieutenant colonel and helped form the 16th Vermont Regiment. 'The Majority Fell Asleep' He had complained about his troops’ and his own lack of sleep in a letter to his wife. On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg that, apparently, caught up with them. The rebels opened the fighting that day with a massive bombardment from 140 artillery pieces. Wrote Veazey, My men were lying flat down, and most of the fire with that of our own artillery which was on the crest in our rear passed over us. I lost several men, however, by it. This continued about 2 hours. The effect of this cannonading on my men was the most remarkable ever witnessed in any battle, many of them, I think, the majority fell asleep. It was with the greatest effort only that I could keep awake myself, not withstanding the cries of my wounded men & my anxiety for the more fearful scene which I knew must speedily follow. That fearful scene was Pickett’s Charge, an infantry charge ordered by Gen. Robert E. Lee against Union troops holding a position on Cemetery Ridge. Then all of a sudden the artillery fire slackened.

Veazey’s friend Lt. Joseph Goulding described what happened next: There is a portentious hush and some one with a glass at his eye says: 'there they come,' and just emerging from the rebel lines you can see the long ranks of gray, the shimmer of steel in the July sun as their bayonets glitter above their heads. They are sweeping grandly on and on as they come toward us down the slope. They are in three divisions with a front of about a thousand yards but looking far longer in this smoky air. Now fairly on their way, our fire rekindles and shot and shell tear through their solid masses but the gaps close sternly up and on they come. Their batteries behind them open again over their heads and again the air seems filled with all that kills. They are headed straight for that part of the line where the Vermonters are still hugging the ground and out of sight from the foe who quite naturally suppose them destroyed or paralyzed by the heavy fire to which they have been subjected. Now the gray ranks are almost upon us, their fringe of skirmishers engage ours but are momentarily repulsed while still the heavy charging column comes on nearer and yet nearer. Now within rifle range, their tossing flags wave with their rapid motion as they hurry toward their goal, but just here the long lines of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Sixteenth rise as if suddenly grown out of the very earth at their very feet and pour a deadly volley into those closed massed ranks.

They stagger and break and surge off to the right as they meet it and so expose their flank and out upon that flank changing front forward under the storm of lead as if on parade, Veazey swings the Sixteenth on the left of the Thirteenth...and firing as they advance, pours most terrible and destructive volleys into Pickett's dense column which seems to fairly wither and shrivel under them and this unexpected onslaught.

Major Gen. Abner Doubleday waved his hat and shouted, "Glory to God, glory to God, see the Vermonters go at it." Afterward, a captured Confedereate soldier said he was never more confident of victory as they marched over the field. "But when I saw that Damn Vermont Colonel on foot, hat off, sword swinging in the air in front of his men and cheering them on upon our flank, I knew we were doomed." Wheelock Veazey won the nation’s highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, for his bravery in battle. He was mustered out on Aug. 10, 1863, in failing health. Once he recovered, Veazey led an illustrious career as Vermont state senator, judge, and member of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Wheelock Veazey died March 22, 1898

1834: Born - Henry William Blair, a Representative and a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Campton, Grafton County, N.H., December 6, 1834.

He attended the common schools and private academies; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1859 and commenced practice in Plymouth, N.H.; appointed prosecuting attorney for Grafton County 1860; during the Civil War served in the Union Army as lieutenant colonel of the Fifteenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry; member, State house of representatives 1866; member, State senate 1867-1868.

Elected as a Republican to the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1875-March 3, 1879); was not a candidate for renomination in 1878; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate on June 17, 1879, for the vacancy in the term ending March 3, 1885, and served from June 20, 1879, to March 3, 1885; the State legislature not being in session, he was appointed on March 5, 1885, and elected on June 17, 1885, to fill the vacancy in the term beginning March 4, 1885, and served from March 10, 1885, to March 3, 1891

An unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1891; chairman, Committee on Education and Labor (Forty-seventh through Fifty-first Congresses); declined an appointment as judge of the district court for the district of New Hampshire tendered by President Benjamin Harrison in 1891; was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to China March 6, 1891; he was objected to by the Chinese Government as being persona non grata; subsequently tendered his resignation which was accepted October 6, 1891

Elected as a Republican to the Fifty-third Congress (March 4, 1893-March 3, 1895); was not a candidate for reelection in 1894; engaged in the practice of law in Washington, D.C., until his death on March 14, 1920; interment in Campton Cemetery, Campton, N.H.

1842: Born - Richard J. Gage in Orford New Hampshire. Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private Richard J. Gage, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 2 July 1863, while serving with Company D, 104th Illinois Infantry, in action at Elk River, Tennessee. Private Gage voluntarily joined a small party that, under a heavy fire, captured a stockade and saved the bridge. General Orders: Date of Issue: October 30, 1897 Action Date: July 2, 1863

1774 - Paul Revere and his network of patriots caught wind of the new policy. Revere knew the lightly guarded fort in New Castle was vulnerable to attack.

He decided to warn the people of New Hampshire that the British were sending an expedition to Fort William and Mary. Early on the morning of Dec. 13, Revere mounted his horse and began his difficult 60-mile ride to Portsmouth. The roads were rutted with frozen slush and a stiff west wind pierced his clothing. He arrived in Portsmouth that afternoon and went straight to the home of Samuel Cutts, a patriot merchant.

Cutts quickly convened the town’s committee of correspondence and Revere reported the news: British troops were on their way to Fort William and Mary and the king had banned importation of munitions to the colonies. What Revere didn’t know was that British troops would only head toward the fort after it was learned Revere was in Portsmouth.

A Loyalist townsman told Wentworth of Revere’s arrival. Wentworth sent a rider to Boston to ask for help from Governor Thomas Gage. Gage ordered a small vessel to sail to Portsmouth with a detachment of marines and a 20-gun frigate to follow. They wouldn’t arrive until the raid was well over.

1835 - Born - Ossian Ray, a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Hinesburg, Chittenden County, Vt., December 13, 1835

He moved to Irasburg, Vt., in early childhood; attended the common schools and an academy in Derby, Vt.; studied law in Irasburg and in Lancaster, N.H., to which latter place he moved in 1854; was admitted to the bar in 1857 and practiced in Essex and Coos Counties; solicitor for Coos County 1862-1872; member of the State house of representatives in 1868 and 1869; delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1872;

United States attorney for the district of New Hampshire from February 22, 1879, to December 23, 1880, when he resigned; elected as a Republican to the Forty-sixth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Evarts W. Farr;

Reelected to the Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth Congresses and served from January 8, 1881, to March 3, 1885; did not seek renomination in 1884; died in Lancaster, N.H., January 28, 1892; interment in the Summer Street Cemetery.

1774 - The Raid of Fort William and Mary (Fort Constitution Begins:

A few minutes before noon on December 14, a drummer, his beats muffled by the falling snow, marched through the streets of the city sounding the call that everyone recognized. Before long, he had collected an entourage of more than two hundred men and boys. At the fort, guarding the king's powder, were the defenders-Capt. Cochran and five men.

At about one o'clock, this tiny garrison received word that an angry mob was on its way from town, growing larger as citizens from Rye and New Castle hastened to join. By the time they reached the gates of the fort, the attackers numbered more than 400.

At about three o'clock in the afternoon a few shots were exchanged, but no one was injured. Before a second volley could be fired, the fort was overwhelmed, and Cochran's band was in the hands of the attackers. Three huzzas were shouted and the king's colors were lowered. Cochran, though overwhelmed, showed no signs of allowing the keys to the powder magazine to leave his possession. Substituting shoulders for keys, the attackers broke down the door and were able to make off with 97 barrels of powder which they loaded onto moses boats and gundalows for dispersal to the various surrounding towns.

The captain of the defenders wrote in his note to Governor Wentworth, "I did all in my power to defend the fort, but all my efforts could not avail against so great a number." With odds of four hundred to six, neither the governor nor posterity could fault him. Governor Wentworth, caught in an impossible situation, hastily requested ships and troops from Boston. Obviously, he had need of help, for the next morning men from the surrounding countryside began to pour into the city, lured by rumors of the previous day's events. John Sullivan of Durham and his men surrounded the state house and demanded information about possible reinforcements.

"None were expected," said Wentworth. The mob dispersed, only to reassemble later that evening to remove remaining military stores from the fort. Again the trophies were loaded at the river. The powder was soon distributed. Kingston received 12 barrels, Epping 8, Poplin (Fremont) 4, Nottingham 8, Brentwood 6, and Londonderry 1.

Remaining stores were distributed in Durham, which received 25 barrels, and in Exeter, where 29 barrels were retained. Four barrels remained in Portsmouth. The precious dust was destined for the powder flasks of the local militia units, the building blocks of the nascent continental army. The powder and the power no longer belonged to King George III, it was in the hands of the people. In New Hampshire, at least, the Revolution had begun.

1831: Born - Franklin Benjamin Sanborn. Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, (born December 15, 1831, Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, U.S.—died February 24, 1917, Plainfield, New Jersey), American journalist, biographer, and charity worker.

A descendant of an old New Englandfamily (its progenitor first immigrating in 1632), Sanborn attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard College (B.A., 1855). In 1855 he settled in Concord, Massachusetts, then an intellectual centre, and also became active in the abolitionist cause, becoming John Brown’s New England agent. He tried to dissuade Brown from attempting the raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, but he nevertheless aided the firebrand with funds.

The U.S. Senate early in 1860 tried—through a summons and then orders for arrest—to get him to testify about his role, and for two months he was partly on the run, until the Massachusetts Supreme Court protected him from seizure. Sanborn had already begun a career in journalism, and in 1863 he became an editor of the Boston Commonwealth

In 1867 he joined the staff of the Springfield Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), with which he remained until 1914. Concurrently, from 1863 to 1888 he served several times on the state board of charities, working for prison reform, care of the insane, and other welfare measures. In his years at Concord, Sanborn came to know many of the luminaries of literary New England.

Among his many writings are Henry D. Thoreau (1882), The Life and Letters of John Brown (1885), A. Bronson Alcott: His Life and Philosophy, 2 vol. (1893; with W.T. Harris), Ralph Waldo Emerson (1901), Hawthorne and His Friends (1908), Recollections of Seventy Years, 2 vol. (1909), and The Life of Henry David Thoreau (1917).

1795 -Born - Thomas McKey Edwards - a Representative from New Hampshire; born in Keene, Cheshire County, N.H., December 16, 1795

He was tutored privately; was graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1813; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1817 and commenced practice in Keene, N.H.; postmaster of Keene from June 30, 1818, to July 23, 1829; served in the State house of representatives in 1834, 1836, 1838, and 1839; abandoned his law practice in 1845 and superintended the construction of the Cheshire Railroad, serving as its first president; also served as president of a bank and a fire-insurance company

He waselected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1859-March 3, 1863); was not a candidate for renomination in 1862 to the Thirty-eighth Congress; resumed his former business pursuits; died in Keene, N.H., May 1, 1875; interment in Woodlawn Cemetery.

1898 - Born: Neil Tillotson- Inventor of the Latex Balloon Neil Tillotson, an industrialist and resort owner who became a celebrity every four years as the first person to vote in the presidential primaries and the election of the president, died Oct. 17, 2001 at a hospital in Colebrook, N.H. He was 102.

''I saw Teddy Roosevelt, I was probably 16, 17 years old, at the fairground in Morrisville, Vt., and he made a speech, and he wasn't just something to read about in the paper,'' Mr. Tillotson once told National Public Radio. That enthralling moment spawned an enduring political spectacle decades later as Mr. Tillotson literally put the polling place of Dixville Notch, N.H., on the map. While running an international rubber products company out of Boston, Mr. Tillotson bought the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch at auction in 1954.

He established a home in that White Mountains community, but learned that the nearest polling place, at the county seat, was 50 miles away. Still intrigued by the presidential drama he had witnessed as a boy, he had Dixville Notch incorporated for voting purposes and created an early-bird election special of sorts. Since the 1960's, the polls at Dixville Notch have opened at midnight for New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary and on election days. Voters -- in some years as many as 30 or so -- cast their ballots at the Balsams. At 12:01 a.m., 100 percent of those eligible having voted, the polls close, and the wire services flash the results around the nation. It is participatory democracy in action, but everyone has a good time as well. ''Afterward, we have a little party -- but no booze,'' Mr. Tillotson said.

As the town moderator, Mr. Tillotson was always the first Dixville Notch resident to place his vote in the wooden box at the Balsams's ballot room. A few other New Hampshire towns have had sporadic midnight voting, but Dixville Notch garners all the attention because the Balsams offers communications facilities for television crews, reporters and photographers. The hoopla over Dixville Notch, in northern New Hampshire, about 220 miles from Boston, has brought presidential hopefuls trooping to Mr. Tillotson. Gov. George W. Bush visited him during New Hampshire's 2000 Republican presidential primary and Senator John McCain paid two calls.

Governor Bush won 12 votes in Dixville Notch in the Republican primary to Senator McCain's 10. On Election Day, Dixville Notch gave Mr. Bush 21 votes, Vice President Al Gore 5 and Ralph Nader 1. However charming the tableau at Dixville Notch, it is no rustic New England village. It consists almost entirely of the Balsams, a luxurious getaway on Lake Gloriette, and a factory that is part of a rubber company founded by Mr. Tillotson.

Mr. Tillotson grew up in Beecher Falls, Vt., quit high school, worked for a rubber company in Watertown, Mass., then served as a teenage cavalryman in Gen. John J. Pershing's Mexican expedition, chasing Pancho Villa. He founded his own rubber company in the early Depression years, at first featuring children's balloons in the shape of a cat, then expanding into an international operation that manufactures industrial products.

In the 2000 election campaign, he was still active in overseeing the Tillotson Corporation out of offices in Boston. Advertisement He is survived by his wife, Louise; two sons, Rick, of Colebrook, and Tom, of Dixville Notch; two daughters, Neila Tillotson Monahan of Brewster, Mass., and Janet Tillotson Munchak of Roswell, Ga.; and grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Mr. Tillotson was considered a lifelong Republican, but said he had an open mind in assessing a candidate. ''I think the first thing you look for is honesty,'' he said. ''The next thing is, has he got a brain? And is he emotionally reasonably stable?'' He was hardly overwhelmed by all the excitement over being the first to vote. ''The important thing is, here's a town with, for many elections, 100 percent of the voters voting,'' he said last year. ''That's a lot more important than voting first or last

1753 - Born: John T. Gilman, the seventh and twelfth governor to serve New Hampshire, was born in Exeter, New Hampshire on December 19, 1753.

His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. Gilman first went to work with his father in the shipbuilding business, but eventually left, following his father to the state treasurers office, where he was a clerk during his father's tenure as state treasurer.

Gilman favored independence from England and served with a troop of volunteers during the Revolutionary War. He first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1779 to 1781, and 1810 to 1811. He served as a member to the 1780 convention of states, and was a member of the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783. He also served as the state treasurer of New Hampshire from 1783 to 1788 and 1791 to 1794, and was a member of the 1788 state convention.

Gilman next won election to the governorship in 1794, and was sworn into office on June 5, 1794. He went on to win reelection annually until 1804. He lost his reelection bids in 1805, 1806, 1808 and 1812, but was successful in his 1813, 1814, and 1815 campaigns.

During his two tenures, Fort William and Mary was restored; the state's economy flourished; the state court system was reorganized; a medical school was initiated to Dartmouth College; and issues dealing with the War of 1812 were addressed. After completing his final term on June 6, 1816, Gilman retired from political life. For several years he served as a trustee for Dartmouth College, as well as for the Phillips Exeter Academy. Governor John T. Gilman passed away on August 31, 1828, and was buried in the Exeter Cemetery in Exeter, New Hampshire.

Governor John Gilman Nh State House Portrait

1697 - Born: Theodore Atkinson in New Castle New Hampshire.

Theodore Atkinson was born in New Castle, New Hampshire, on December 20, 1697, the son of Mary and Theodore Atkinson (1669–1719), a provincial councilor.1 Atkinson attended Harvard College with the class of 1718. Shortly after graduating, he received a commission as lieutenant of Fort William and Mary in New Castle, a position his father had occupied. In 1720 he was appointed clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, and by 1731 he was admitted as an attorney.

In 1722, Atkinson was elected a representative to the General Court. Lieutenant Governor John Wentworth, who had been a close associate of Atkinson’s father, appointed the younger Theodore collector, naval officer, and sheriff of the province. During these years, New Hampshire was a royal province controlled from a distance by the governor of Massachusetts and, locally, by the lieutenant governor.

The tension between the local and distant authorities resulted in a political rivalry between Massachusetts Governor Jonathan Belcher and New Hampshire Lieutenant Governor Wentworth. Consequently Belcher removed Atkinson from the first two positions and appointed another man to share the office of sheriff. Atkinson was appointed in 1732 councilor of New Hampshire, but Belcher stalled his appointment for two years. When John Wentworth died in 1730, his son Benning (1696–1770) rose to power in his place and became the first royally appointed governor of New Hamsphire.

Atkinson and the younger Wentworth remained political allies, and the two men dominated New Hampshire politics over the next generation. Atkinson was chosen secretary of the province in 1741, and passed the office to his son, Theodore, Jr., in 1760. Upon his son’s death in 1769, Atkinson resumed the office until 1775. He also served as clerk of the council and was promoted to colonel in the New Hampshire militia. In that capacity, he commanded one of ten New Hampshire regiments in the French and Indian War. In 1754, Atkinson was a delegate to the Albany Congress, which existed to form an alliance between the British colonies and the Iroquois tribes of the Six Nations.

The committee ultimately presented a plan of union among the colonies to facilitate their defense, but both the king and the colonial governments rejected it.2 Later that year, Atkinson was appointed chief justice of the Superior Court and remained in that office until the Revolutionary government was formed in 1775. In 1773 he was promoted to major general. Then Atkinson’s power began to wane, as did that of the royally sanctioned government in general. In December 1774, he confronted a crowd threatening to seize Fort William and Mary, declaring that failure to disband would constitute an Act of High Treason and Rebellion. But instead of being obeyed, Atkinson was mocked.4 When he refused, in July 1775, to turn over the records of the province to the Revolutionary government in Exeter, and the documents were seized from him. Curiously, Atkinson was not named in 1778 among the Loyalists whose land the patriots confiscated, despite the elder statesman’s unambiguous political allegiance to the Crown. Close associates such as Benning and John Wentworth, on the other hand, were individually named in acts passed by the Revolutionary government of New Hampshire as "enemys" of the state, and their property was seized. Atkinson built a fortune in land investment.

In 1719 he inherited a substantial sum, amounting to 1,200 pounds, from his father’s estate. In the mid-1730s, he moved to Portsmouth, where he helped establish an Anglican church—Queen’s Chapel, later renamed St. John’s—and was a warden of the Masons. In 1754 he gave land to the church for building tombs, Vaults & Monuments.6 He expanded his wealth as one of the principal investors in 1739 in the Masonian Proprietorship, which was based on a seventeenth-century land grant of all the property within sixty miles of the New Hampshire coast, including Portsmouth, Dover, and Exeter. That corporation’s success hinged upon the resolution of an ongoing boundary dispute between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, which was settled in 1741 in favor of Atkinson’s province and investment.

Inhabitants of the towns established within the proprietorship were granted title to the land they had improved.7 Atkinson and his son also held seventy-three proprietorships in the contested land to the west of New Hampshire, which would later become Vermont.8 The town of Atkinson, New Hampshire, founded in 1767, was named for him.9 Atkinson’s taste for display prompted him not only to have his and his wife’s portraits painted by Joseph Blackburn but also to build a grand house on Court Street in Portsmouth. This residence contained a substantial amount of silver, including a tray engraved with birth and death dates of family members and friends.10 Atkinson apparently owned the finest carriage in town and once challenged another man to a sulky race from Portsmouth to Boston.

His interest in sport is suggested by the dedication of the Reverend Joseph Seccombe’s so-called fishing sermon to him. On September 4, 1732, Atkinson married the widow Hannah Plaisted (1700–1769), daughter of his late political benefactor John Wentworth. This union added 1,000 thousand pounds to Atkinson’s wealth and further solidified his ties to the Wentworth family.

Their children Hannah, who was baptized 1734 and died young, and Theodore (1737–1769)—both predeceased their parents.12 When Atkinson, who had no immediate heirs, died in Portsmouth on September 22, 1779, he left the bulk of his fortune to a cousin, George King, on the condition that he change his name to Atkinson.

He also left 200 pounds to the Anglican church he helped found in Portsmouth for the distribution of bread to the poor on Sundays. In addition, Atkinson’s will included bequests of 100 pounds apiece to the libraries of Harvard and Dartmouth College; he had been appointed a trustee of the latter school in 1769. He specified that Harvard spend the funds for books "usefull in the Study of the Civil—Statute—& Common Law of England." And the books purchased by both colleges were to be impressed with Atkinson’s initials in gold letters on the binding.

1789: Born - Levi Woodbury, a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Francestown, N.H., December 22, 1789

Levi Woodbury, the fifteenth governor of New Hampshire, was born in Francestown, New Hampshire on December 22, 1789. His education was attained at the Atkinson Academy, and at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1809. He went on to study law at the Litchfield Law School, and then established his legal career. Woodbury first entered politics in 1816, serving as clerk of the New Hampshire State Senate.

He also served on the New Hampshire superior court bench from 1816 to 1823. Woodbury next secured the Democratic-Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1823. He was sworn into office on June 5, 1823. During his tenure, the state’s road and railway systems were advanced; and the judicial system was improved. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Woodbury left office on June 2, 1824. He continued to stay politically active, serving as a member and speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1825.

He also served in the U.S. Senate from 1825 to 1831 and 1841 to 1845; was secretary of the navy from 1831 to 1834; and served as secretary of the treasury from 1834 to 1841. In 1844, Woodbury actively supported Polk in the presidential election, and was rewarded after Polk was elected, with an appointment to the U.S. supreme court. He served in this capacity from 1845 until his death in 1851. Governor Levi Woodbury was buried in the Harmony Grove Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Levi Woodbury NH State House Portrait Plate

Levi Woodbury New Hampshire Historical Marker

1796 - Born: Jared Warner Williams, a Representative and a Senator from New Hampshire

Jared W. Williams , the twenty-ninth governor of New Hampshire, was born in West Woodstock, Connecticut on December 22, 1796. His education was attained at Brown University, where he graduated in 1818.

He went on to study law at the Litchfield Law School, and then established his legal career in Lancaster, New Hampshire. Williams first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1830 to 1831 and 1835 to 1836.

He also served as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1832 to 1834; and was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1837 to 1841. Williams next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1847. He was reelected to a second term in 1848. During his tenure, reorganization of the state militia was recommended; proposals that supported the Mexican War were authorized; and divorce legislation, as well as a property ownership bill was lobbied for.

After leaving the governorship, Williams secured an appointment to serve as Coos County probate judge, a position he held in 1852. He also served as a member of the U.S. Senate from 1853 to 1854; and was a delegate to the 1864 Democratic National Convention. Governor Jared W. Williams passed away on September 29, 1864, and was buried in the Summer Street Cemetery in Lancaster, New Hampshire.

Jared W Williams NH State House Portrait

1757 - Benjamin Pierce, the seventeenth and nineteenth governor to serve New Hampshire, was born in Chelmsford, Massachusetts on December 25, 1757.

His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. Pierce had a long and distinguished career in the military. During the Revolutionary War, he served under General George Washington, participating in the battle of Bunker Hill. After his military duty, he undertook the job of organizing the Hillsborough (NH) militia. He also served as brigadier general in the New Hampshire militia in 1805.

Pierce first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1789 to 1802. He also served as a delegate to the New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention in 1791; was a member of the Governor’s Executive Council from 1803 to 1809 and 1814; and served as the Hillsborough County sheriff from 1809 to 1812 and 1818 to 1827.

Pierce next secured the Democratic-Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in the 1827. He lost his 1828 reelection bid, but was successful in his 1829 campaign. During his tenure, the state’s mining industry started to flourish; and the Hopkinton Academy was founded.

After completing his final term, Pierce retired from political life. Governor Benjamin Pierce, whose son Franklin later served as president of the United States, passed away on April 1, 1839. He was buried in the Pine Hill Cemetery in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.

1835: Born - William Eaton Chandler, a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Concord, N.H., December 28, 1835;

Williamattended the common schools and the academies in Thetford, Vt., and Pembroke, N.H.; graduated from Harvard Law School in 1854; admitted to the bar in 1855 and commenced practice in Concord, N.H.

Appointed reporter of the decisions of the supreme court of New Hampshire in 1859; member, State house of representatives 1862-1864 and served as speaker during the last two years; appointed by President Abraham Lincoln solicitor and judge advocate general of the Navy Department in 1865; appointed First Assistant Secretary of the Treasury 1865-1867, when he resigned; newspaper publisher and editor in New Hampshire during the 1870s and 1880s; member of the State constitutional convention in 1876; member, State house of representatives 1881

He was appointed by President Chester Arthur as Secretary of the Navy 1882-1885; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Austin F. Pike and served from June 14, 1887, to March 3, 1889; subsequently elected for the term beginning March 4, 1889; reelected in 1895 and served from June 18, 1889, to March 3, 1901;

Unsuccessful candidate for renomination; chairman, Committee on Immigration (Fifty-first and Fifty-second Congresses), Committee on Census (Fifty-fourth Congress), Committee on Privileges and Elections (Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth Congresses);

Appointed by President William McKinley as president of the Spanish Claims Treaty Commission 1901-1908; resumed the practice of law in Concord, N.H., and Washington, D.C.; died in Concord, N.H., November 30, 1917; interment in Blossom Hill Cemetery.

William E Chandler - NH State Library Portrait

1819 - Born: Ezekiel Albert Straw - , the forty-second governor of New Hampshire 1872 - 1874. Ezekiel was born in Salisbury, New Hampshire on December 30, 1819.

After his family moved to Massachusetts, young Ezekiel was educated in the common schools in Lowell.

He later attended the Phillips Andover Academy. Straw established a successful career with the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, where he started out as an engineer, and later became the company’s president in 1871.

He first entered politics as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a position he held from 1859 to 1864. He served as a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1864 to 1866, and was senate president from 1865 to 1866. He also served as a staff member in the governor's office in 1869; and was a member of the executive board of the planning commission for the 1870 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

Straw next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1872. He won reelection to a second term in 1873. During his tenure, the initiation of a manual and industrial training system for public schools was promoted; the war deficit was reduced; and a local liquor option bill was lobbied for.

After completing his term, Straw returned to his various business interests. He returned briefly to politics in 1876, serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. Governor Ezekiel A. Straw passed away in Manchester on October 23, 1882.

Ezekial Straw, Nh Governor, NH State House Portrait

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January 1

1809: Born - Ira Allen Eastman : Represented New Hampshire from 1839 - 1842

January 4

January 5

1845: Born - Carlton Camp in Hanover , New Hampshire - Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient.

January 6

1892: ROCHESTER CHARTERED AS A NEW HAMPSHIRE CITY.

January 8

1723 -REED, JAMES. (1723–1807). CONTINENTAL GENERAL. MASSACHUSETTS- NEW HAMPSHIRE.

1732: George Reid was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire on January 8, 1732.

1899 -Born on January 8th- Sherman Adams, the seventy-seventh governor of New Hampshire, was born in East Dover, Vermont on January 8, 1899.

Dedication of the Sherman Adams Summit Building - September 5th, 1980

1801: Born - Nathaniel Gookin Upham - Prominent Lawyer in Deerfield New Hampshire

January 9

1861 - Concord Annual Ball

January 10

January 11

1787 - INCORPORATED - THE NEW HAMPSHIRE TOWN OF LANGDON

1794-INCORPORATED: THE NEW HAMPSHIRE TOWN OF MILFORD

January 12

January 13

1682 - LORDS OF TRADE AND PLANTATIONS REPORT

1906 - Durham Libraries Consolidated

January 14

January 15

1796 - The New Hampshire Town of Alton was Incorporated

January 16

1671 - Born: John Wentworth in Portsmouth New Hampshire

1766 - The New Hampshire town of Lee was Incorporated.

January 17

1774 - The New Hampshire Town of Deering was Incorporated

January 18

1735 - BORN IN HAMPTON NH - SEACOAST SHIP BUILDER - CHRISTOPHER TOPPAN

January 19

January 19, 1810 - Cold Friday

1838: Born - Osgood T. Hadley - Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient

January 21

January 22

January 23

1773 - The New Hampshire Town of Loudon was Incorporated.

1815 - The New Hampshire Town of Troy was Incorporated

January 25

General Assembly Meeting - Concord - January 26, 1778

January 27

January 28

1986: Challenger Tragedy. Christa McAuliffe - Teacher in Space lost her life in the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion.

January 30

1799 - Born : Thomas Cogswell Upham in Deerfield NH

1852 - Born: David Arthur Taggart in Goffstown, New Hampshire.

January 31

January 31

1764 - The New Hampshire Town of Lincoln was Granted

February 1

February 2

February 3

February 5

February 6

1773: New Hampshire Town of Northwood was Incorporated

February 7

1778 - Royal Governor John Wentworth sails for London

February 8

1772 - The New Hampshire Town of Bretton Woods was Granted to Sir Thomas Wentworth

February 9

February 11

1768 - The New Hampshire Town of Rindge in Cheshire County was Incorporated

1786 - BORN: TITUS BROWN (ALSTEAD) - REPRESENTED NEW HAMPSHIRE IN CONGRESS FROM 1825 - 1828

February 12

1824: DESTRUCTIVE FRESHET