Chenango & Unadilla Valley 50 Years Ago

Chenango And Unadilla Valley Fifty Years Ago

by S.S. Randall

Chenango Telegraph, April 10, 1872

 

Chenango County Congressional Representation

The County of Chenango has been only once represented in the Senate of the United States - in 1809-15 by Gen. Obadiah German, afterwards, in 1819, Speaker of the Assembly - a man of a commanding presence, and marked abilities as a Statesman and politician. The Valley has, however, been long and ably represented in that body, in the State Senate, and Executive Department, by one whom Chenango has a legitimate right to claim as one of her own most distinguished citizens, Daniel S. Dickinson, of Binghamton.  For twenty years, from his earliest boyhood, Gov. Dickinson labored on his father's farm in Guilford, varied only by occasional intervals of teaching, and in that town, or its immediate vicinity, married the amiable and excellent partner of his long and eventful life - a daughter of Dr. Knapp.  With Messrs. Clark and Clapp, of Norwich, he prosecuted and completed his law studies.  At the bar of the Chenango Common Pleas he was first admitted to practice; and there he gained his earliest laurels.  The County of Chenango was a part of the Sixth Senatorial District, which placed him in the Senate, and made him Lieutenant Governor, and constituted, with Broome, the Congressional District in which he resided.  Well, then, may Chenango claim the greatest share in the brilliant and patriotic career of the great Senator, who, side by side with John A. Dix, abandoning all party allegiance, clung determinedly and to the last to the imperiled Union.

 

It was not until the year 1808, that Chenango formed part of a separate Congressional District, with Broome and Tioga.  Previous to that date, it was united with Herkimer and Tioga.  Gen John Patterson, of Broome, represented the County in Congress in 1803-5, and was succeeded in 1805-7, and again from 1809-1813, by Uri Tracy, of Oxford.  Joel Thompson, of Norwich, succeeded Mr. Tracy in 1813-15; James Birdsall of Norwich in 1815-17, John R. Drake, of Tioga in 1817-19; Lot Clark, of Norwich in 1823-25; Elias Whittemore, of Broome, in 1825-27; John C. Clark, of Bainbridge, in 1827-29, and afterwards in 1837-39; John A. Collier of Binghamton, in 1831-33;, Dr. Henry Mitchell, of Norwich in 1833-35; Dr. William Mason, of Preston in 1835-37 Demar Hubbard, Jr. of Smyrna, in 1837-43, Smith M. Purdy of Norwich, in 1843-45; Stephen Strong, of Tioga, in 1845-47; Audburn Birdsall, of Broome, in 1847-49; and Henry Bennett, of New Berlin, during the ensuing ten years, from 1849-1859.

 

To be continued