Leander Babcock was a Democratic United States Representative for the 23rd district

New York's 23rd congressional district

The 23rd Congressional District of New York is New York's northernmost congressional district for the United States House of Representatives. The district includes all or parts of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties. It...

 of New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. He was born in Paris, New York

Paris, New York

Paris is a town in Oneida County, New York, USA. The town is in the southeast part of the county and is south of Utica. The population was 4,609 at the 2000 census. The town was named after an early benefactor, Colonel Isaac Paris.-History:...

 in 1811. Babcock first attended Hamilton College and then transferred to Union College where he was a member of The Kappa Alpha Society

Kappa Alpha Society

The Kappa Alpha Society , founded in 1825, was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It was the first of the fraternities which would eventually become known as the Union Triad...

 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa

Phi Beta Kappa Society

The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...

, graduating in 1830. Babcock had studied law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 at Union College

Union College

Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...

 and was admitted to the New York bar

Bar association

A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...

 in 1834. He then moved to Oswego, New York

Oswego, New York

Oswego is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 18,142 at the 2010 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in north-central New York and promotes itself as "The Port City of Central New York"...

 where he practiced law.

From 1840 to 1843 he served as the district attorney

District attorney

In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...

 for Oswego County. Babcock then became mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Oswego. He was elected to the 32nd United States Congress

32nd United States Congress

The Thirty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1851 to March 3, 1853, during the third and...

 and served from March 4, 1851 to March 3, 1853. After his term in office, he returned to Oswego and served as president of its board of education

Board of education

A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....

 in 1855 and as an alderman from 1856 to 1858.

Babcock died in Richfield Springs, New York

Richfield Springs, New York

Richfield Springs is a village located in the Town of Richfield, on the north-central border of Otsego County, New York. The population was 1,255 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from some local sulfur springs....

 on August 18, 1864 and was interred in Riverside Cemetery

Riverside Cemetery (Oswego, New York)

Riverside Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery and national historic district located at Oswego in Oswego County, New York. It was established in 1855 and designed by landscape srchitect Burton Arnold Thomas . Within the boundaries of this contributing site are six contributing buildings, 12...

in Oswego.