Sen. Nathaniel Silsbee, Sr.

Nathaniel Silsbee was a Representative and a Senator from Massachusetts; born in Salem, Mass., on January 14, 1773; attended private schools; went to sea and became a sea captain, ship owner and merchant; held several local offices in Salem and Boston; elected to the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Congresses (March 4, 1817-March 3, 1821); was not a candidate for renomination; elected to the State house of representatives in 1821; member, State senate 1823-1825, serving as president; presidential elector in 1824; elected to the United States Senate in 1826 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Lloyd; reelected in 1829 and served from May 31, 1826, to March 3, 1835; declined to be a candidate for reelection; chairman, Committee on Commerce (Twenty-third Congress); Whig presidential elector in 1836; resumed mercantile pursuits in Salem, Mass., where he died on July 14, 1850; interment in Harmony Grove Cemetery.

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000411

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Silsbee

Nathanial Silsbee (January 14, 1773 – July 14, 1850) was an American politician from Massachusetts.

Silsbee was born in Salem, Massachusetts to Capt. Nathanial Silsbee and Sarah Beckett. On December 12, 1802 Silsbee married Mary Crowinishield.

Silsbee went to sea and became a sea captain, ship owner and merchant; he held several local offices in Salem and Boston, Massachusetts.

Political career

United States House of Representatives

Silsbee was elected to the United States House of Representatives (March 4, 1817-March 4, 1821). He was chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Military Pensions in the Twenty-first Congress. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1820.

Massachusetts government

He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1821 and the Massachusetts Senate (1823-1825), serving as president. He was a presidential elector in 1824.

United States Senate

He was elected to the United States Senate in 1826 to fill the vacancy in the term ending March 4, 1841, caused by the resignation of James Lloyd. He was re-elected in 1829 and served from May 31, 1826 to March 4, 1835. He was chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce in the Twenty-third Congress. He was a Whig presidential elector in 1836.

Retirement

Silsbee resumed mercantile pursuits in Salem, where he died; interment in The Old Burying Ground, the second oldest cemetery in the US.

Nathaniel Silsbee was a ship master, merchant and American politician from Salem, Massachusetts.

Silsbee was the eldest child of Capt. Nathaniel and Sarah (Becket) Silsbee. At the age of fourteen, to support his family upon the financial failures of his father, he went to sea and learned navigation. His able seamanship won him, at the age of nineteen, command of Elias Hasket Derby's Sloop "Sally". Silsbee continued commanding Derby vessels and had many interesting adventures and exploits with privateers, French Consuls, and such. In 1795 he became part owner of the Schooner "Betsy" and continued to prosper and master his own vessels. In 1801 he placed his brothers, William and Zachariah, in charge of his ships. Nathaniel continued owning vessels in partnerships until the 1840s, but he actively retired from shipping when he commenced his political career.

Nathaniel married Mary Crowninshield, the daughter of one of Salem's wealthiest merchants, on December 12, 1802. Their son Nathaniel (1804-1881) was mayor of Salem from 1849-1850 and 1858-1859.

Silsbee was elected to the United States House of Representatives (March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1821). He was chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Military Pensions in the Twenty-first Congress. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1820.

He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1821 and the Massachusetts Senate (1823–1825), serving as president. He was a presidential elector in 1824.

He was elected to the United States Senate in 1826 to fill the vacancy in the term ending March 3, 1829, caused by the resignation of James Lloyd. He was re-elected in 1829 and served from May 31, 1826 to March 3, 1835. He was chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce in the Twenty-third Congress. He was a Whig presidential elector in 1836. ]
Silsbee resumed mercantile pursuits in Salem, where he died; interment in The Burying Point, the second oldest cemetery in the US.