Name Nathaniel Tallmadge Resigned June 17, 1844 | ||
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Born February 8, 1795Chatham, New York ( 1795-02-08 ) Previous offices Senator (NY) 1840–1844, Senator (NY) 1833–1839 | ||
Nathaniel Potter Tallmadge (February 8, 1795 – November 2, 1864) was an American lawyer and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from New York and Governor of the Wisconsin Territory.
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Early life
Tallmadge was born in Chatham, New York and graduated from Union College in 1815. Then he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1818, and commenced practice in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Political career
He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Dutchess Co.) in 1828. He was a member of the New York State Senate (2nd D.) from 1830 to 1833, sitting in the 53rd, 54th, 55th and 56th New York State Legislatures.
In 1833, he was elected as a Jacksonian Democrat to the United States Senate for a term beginning on March 4, 1833. In 1838, he was a member of the "Conservatives," a faction of former Democrats who endorsed the Whig candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, William H. Seward and Luther Bradish. In 1839, Tallmadge ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate, nominated by the Whigs, but due to a Democratic majority in the State Senate, who objected to his election, no choice was made, and the seat became vacant on March 4, 1839. On January 13, 1840, Tallmadge was re-elected to his old seat by the new State Legislature which had Whig majorities in both houses. He took his seat on January 27, 1840, and served until June 17, 1844, when he resigned, having been appointed by President John Tyler to be Governor of Wisconsin Territory. His residence became Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He was Governor of Wisconsin Territory until his removal from office on April 8, 1845.
Later years
Later in his life Tallmadge became a spiritualist and convinced of the existence of the afterlife. He wrote an Appendix to the first volume of Spiritualism (1853; on-line version) by John W. Edmonds and George T. Dexter.
Death
Tallmadge died in Battle Creek, Michigan on November 2, 1864. He was buried at the Rienzi Cemetery in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The first person to be buried in the cemetery was William Tallmadge, Nathaniel Tallmadge's nineteen-year-old son. William Tallmadge was buried in 1845. In 1853, Nathaniel Tallmadge donated eight and a half acres from his farm to be used for the public cemetery.