Seargent Smith Prentiss
Encyclopedia
Seargent Smith Prentiss (30 September 1808, Portland, Maine
-1 July 1850, Natchez, Mississippi
) was the representative for Mississippi
in the Twenty-fifth United States Congress. He attended Bowdoin College
in Brunswick, Maine
and served from 1838 to 1839.
Prentiss was noted as one of the most remarkable orators of his day.
It was said by Daniel Webster, foremost among American orators of the era, that he had never beheld a speaker as powerful as Prentiss.
He reportedly rarely never gave speeches from prepared notes and, instead, would ad-lib for hours to large crowds that often begged him for more.
Prentiss was born in Portland, Maine, on 30 September 1808.
After graduating at Bowdoin College in 1826, he went to Natchez, Mississippi as a teacher, and there studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1829.
His eloquence and good humor gave him success from the start.
In 1832, he moved to Vicksburg and won a suit involving title to the most valuable part of the city.
The ground which he obtained as his fee made him one of the wealthiest men of Mississippi. He was elected to the State Legislature in 1835, and was elected to Congress in 1837.
He was, however, embarrassed by mounting financial troubles stemming from property investments made on disputed land holdings and served but one term in Congress.
After Mississippi repudiated her state bonds, Prentiss, who had earnestly opposed this action, moved to New Orlean in 1845.
There he was leader of the bar, and prominent in philanthropic work.
His death at the age of 42 in 1850 shocked the nation, which grieved the premature loss of someone many considered as being among the most gifted young men in the nation.
He is buried at Gloucester Plantation Cemetery in Natchez.
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
-1 July 1850, Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
) was the representative for Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
in the Twenty-fifth United States Congress. He attended Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
in Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
and served from 1838 to 1839.
Prentiss was noted as one of the most remarkable orators of his day.
It was said by Daniel Webster, foremost among American orators of the era, that he had never beheld a speaker as powerful as Prentiss.
He reportedly rarely never gave speeches from prepared notes and, instead, would ad-lib for hours to large crowds that often begged him for more.
Prentiss was born in Portland, Maine, on 30 September 1808.
After graduating at Bowdoin College in 1826, he went to Natchez, Mississippi as a teacher, and there studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1829.
His eloquence and good humor gave him success from the start.
In 1832, he moved to Vicksburg and won a suit involving title to the most valuable part of the city.
The ground which he obtained as his fee made him one of the wealthiest men of Mississippi. He was elected to the State Legislature in 1835, and was elected to Congress in 1837.
He was, however, embarrassed by mounting financial troubles stemming from property investments made on disputed land holdings and served but one term in Congress.
After Mississippi repudiated her state bonds, Prentiss, who had earnestly opposed this action, moved to New Orlean in 1845.
There he was leader of the bar, and prominent in philanthropic work.
His death at the age of 42 in 1850 shocked the nation, which grieved the premature loss of someone many considered as being among the most gifted young men in the nation.
He is buried at Gloucester Plantation Cemetery in Natchez.