Aaron H. Cragin
Encyclopedia
Aaron Harrison Cragin was a United States Representative and Senator
from New Hampshire
. Born in Weston, Vermont
, he completed preparatory studies, studied law, was admitted to the bar
in Albany, New York
in 1847 and commenced practice in Lebanon, New Hampshire
. He was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
from 1852 to 1855, and was elected by the American Party
to the Thirty-fourth Congress and as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1855-March 4, 1859). While in the House of Representatives, he was chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War (Thirty-fourth Congress).
Cragin resumed the practice of law and in 1859 was again a member of the State house of representatives. He was elected as a Republican to the U.S. in 1864, was reelected in 1870 and served from March 4, 1865, to March 4, 1877. While in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Engrossed Bills (Thirty-ninth Congress) and a member of the Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expense (Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses), the Committee on Naval Affairs (Forty-first and Forty-third Congresses), and the Committee on Railroads (Forty-third and Forty-fourth Congresses). He was appointed by President Rutherford Hayes as one of the commissioners for the purchase of the Hot Springs Reservation in Arkansas
and served as chairman from 1877 to 1879. He died in Washington, D.C.
in 1898; interment was in School Street Cemetery, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. Born in Weston, Vermont
Weston, Vermont
Weston is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 630 at the 2000 census. Home to the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, it includes the villages of Weston and the Island.-History:...
, he completed preparatory studies, studied law, was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
in 1847 and commenced practice in Lebanon, New Hampshire
Lebanon, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,568 people, 5,500 households, and 3,178 families residing in the city. The population density was 311.4 people per square mile . There were 5,707 housing units at an average density of 141.4 per square mile...
. He was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
New Hampshire House of Representatives
The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 103 districts across the state, created from divisions of the state's counties. On average, each legislator represents about 3,300...
from 1852 to 1855, and was elected by the American Party
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
to the Thirty-fourth Congress and as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1855-March 4, 1859). While in the House of Representatives, he was chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War (Thirty-fourth Congress).
Cragin resumed the practice of law and in 1859 was again a member of the State house of representatives. He was elected as a Republican to the U.S. in 1864, was reelected in 1870 and served from March 4, 1865, to March 4, 1877. While in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Engrossed Bills (Thirty-ninth Congress) and a member of the Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expense (Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses), the Committee on Naval Affairs (Forty-first and Forty-third Congresses), and the Committee on Railroads (Forty-third and Forty-fourth Congresses). He was appointed by President Rutherford Hayes as one of the commissioners for the purchase of the Hot Springs Reservation in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and served as chairman from 1877 to 1879. He died in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1898; interment was in School Street Cemetery, Lebanon, New Hampshire.