Samuel Sitgreaves was a United States Representative from Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. Born in Philadelphia, he pursued classical 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 Philadelphia on September 3, 1783 and began practice in Easton, Pennsylvania

Easton, Pennsylvania

Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....

 in 1786. He was a delegate to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention in 1790, and was elected as a Federalist to the Fourth

4th United States Congress

-House of Representatives:- Senate :* President: John Adams * President pro tempore:** Henry Tazewell , first elected December 7, 1795** Samuel Livermore , first elected May 6, 1796** William Bingham , first elected February 16, 1797...

 and Fifth

5th United States Congress

The Fifth 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...

 Congresses, serving from March 4, 1795, until his resignation in 1798. Sitgreaves was one of the managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1798 to conduct the impeachment

Impeachment

Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....

 proceedings against Senator William Blount

William Blount

William Blount, was a United States statesman. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention for North Carolina, the first and only governor of the Southwest Territory, and Democratic-Republican Senator from Tennessee . He played a major role in establishing the state of Tennessee. He was the...

. On August 11, 1798, Sitgreaves was appointed United States commissioner to Great Britain

Foreign relations of the United Kingdom

The diplomatic foreign relations of the United Kingdom are implemented by the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The UK was the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Throughout history it has wielded significant influence upon other nations via the British...

 under the Jay treaty

Jay Treaty

Jay's Treaty, , also known as Jay's Treaty, The British Treaty, and the Treaty of London of 1794, was a treaty between the United States and Great Britain that is credited with averting war,, resolving issues remaining since the Treaty of Paris of 1783, which ended the American Revolution,, and...

, regarding British debt claims arising from the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

.

Service After Congress

After his involvement in the Blount affair of 1797, Sitgreaves was considered the Congressional expert on treason. As such, Sitgreaves was asked to lead the prosecution against John Fries and the others responsible for carrying out Fries's Rebellion, an armed tax revolt

Tax revolt

A tax revolt is a political struggle to repeal, limit, or roll back a tax.-1930s, The Great Depression:In the United States, the term "tax revolt" is sometimes used to refer to a series of anti-tax state initiative campaigns. The first significant wave of these campaigns was during the 1930s. The...

 among Pennsylvania Dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...

 farmers between 1799 and 1800. Sitgreaves was successful in his prosecution and the jury in the case found the men guilty of treason

Treason

In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...

, but a second trial and an eventual pardon from President John Adams

John Adams

John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...

 saved the rebels from execution.

Sitgreaves returned to Easton, where he served as a burgess from 1804 to 1807, helped to found the Easton Library (now Easton Area Public Library), served as treasurer of Northampton County

Northampton County, Pennsylvania

As of the 2010 census, the county was 86.3% White, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.2% were two or more races, and 3.8% were some other race. 10.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.As of the census of...

 from 1816 to 1819, and resumed the practice of law. He was president of the Easton Bank from 1815 to 1827, and died in Easton; interment was in Easton Cemetery

Easton Cemetery

Easton Cemetery is a historic cemetery and burial site of many notable individuals, located in Easton, Pennsylvania. The cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.-Notable burials:*Jefferson Davis Brodhead...

.

His sister Julianna married Lewis Allaire Scott

Lewis Allaire Scott

-Life:He was the son of John Morin Scott and Helena Rutgers Scott.On January 18, 1785, he married Julianna Sitgreaves , and their son was Mayor of Philadelphia John Morin Scott ....

, and was the mother of Mayor of Philadelphia John Morin Scott (1789–1858).