Erastus Root

Portrait of General Erastus Root by Rembrandt Peale, 1823

Erastus Root (March 16, 1773 in Hebron, then Windham County, now Tolland County, Connecticut – December 24, 1846 in New York City) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.

Root graduated from Dartmouth College in 1793 and became a teacher. Then he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1796, and commenced practice in Delhi, New York.

Erastus Root was a member of the New York State Assembly (Delaware Co.) in 1798–99, 1800–01 and 1802. Root was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the 8th United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1803, to March 3, 1805. Afterwards he resumed his law practice. He was then elected to the 11th United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1809, to March 3, 1811, and was Chairman of the Committee on Claims. Root was a member of the New York State Senate (Middle D.) from 1812 to 1815, sitting in the 35th, 36th, 37th and 38th New York State Legislatures.

In 1815, Root contested successfully the election of John Adams to the 14th United States Congress, and took his seat on December 26, 1815, served until March 3, 1817, and was Chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the War Department.

He was again a member of the State Assembly (Delaware Co.) in 1818, 1819, 1820 and 1820–21; and was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821. He was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1823 to 1824, but was defeated when running for re-election on the ticket with Samuel Young in 1824. However, in March–April 1824, Erastus Root was honored with two votes at the Democratic-Republican Party Caucus to be the party's candidate for the Office of U.S. Vice President for the upcoming 1824 U.S. Presidential Election.

He was again a member of the State Assembly (Delaware Co.) in 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1830; and was Speaker in 1827, 1828 and 1830.

He was elected as a Jacksonian to the 22nd United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1833, and was Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture. In 1838, this time as a Whig, he ran again for the House but was defeated.

He was again a member of the State Senate (3rd D.) from 1840 to 1843, sitting in the 63rd, 64th, 65th and 66th New York State Legislatures.

Root also served as Major-General of the New York State Militia.

He was originally buried at the Old Cemetery, but later re-interred at Woodland Cemetery, both in Delhi NY.

Sources

Political Graveyard

United States Congress. "Erastus Root (id: R000431)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
John Stilwell Jenkins: History of Political Parties in the State of New-York (Alden & Markham, Auburn NY, 1846)
Bio at Virtual American Biographies

External links

Erastus Root at Find a Grave

United States House of Representatives
New district	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 14th congressional district 1803–1805	Succeeded by John Russell
Preceded by Nathan Wilson	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 12th congressional district 1809–1811	Succeeded by Arunah Metcalf
Preceded by Samuel Sherwood	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 8th congressional district 1815–1817	Succeeded by Dorrance Kirtland
Political offices
Preceded by John Tayler	Lieutenant Governor of New York 1823–1824	Succeeded by James Tallmadge, Jr.
Preceded by Samuel Young	Speaker of the New York State Assembly 1827 – 1828	Succeeded by Peter Robinson
Preceded by Peter Robinson	Speaker of the New York State Assembly 1830	Succeeded by George R. Davis
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Perkins King	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 11th congressional district 1831–1833	Succeeded by John Cramer
New York State Senate
Preceded by James Powers	New York State Senate Third District (Class 1) 1840–1843	Succeeded by Stephen C. Johnson

Governors and Lieutenant Governors of New York

Governors	G. Clinton Jay G. Clinton Lewis Tompkins Tayler D. Clinton Yates D. Clinton Pitcher Van Buren Throop Marcy Seward Bouck Wright Young Fish Hunt Seymour Clark King Morgan Seymour Fenton Hoffman J. Adams Dix Tilden Robinson Cornell Cleveland Hill Flower Morton Black T. Roosevelt Odell Higgins Hughes White J. Alden Dix Sulzer Glynn Whitman Smith Miller Smith F. Roosevelt Lehman Poletti Dewey Harriman Rockefeller Wilson Carey M. Cuomo Pataki Spitzer Paterson A. Cuomo

Lieutenant Governors	Van Cortlandt S. Van Rensselaer J. Van Rensselaer Broome Tayler Clinton Tayler Swift Tayler Root Tallmadge Pitcher P. Livingston Dayan Throop Stebbins Oliver E. Livingston Tracy Bradish Dickinson Gardiner Lester Fish Patterson Church Raymond Selden Campbell Floyd-Jones Alvord Woodford Beach Robinson Dorsheimer Hoskins Hill McCarthy Jones Sheehan Saxton Woodruff Higgins Bruce Raines Chanler White Cobb Conway Glynn Wagner Schoeneck Walker Wood Lusk Lunn Lowman Corning Lehman Bray Poletti Hanley Wallace Hanley Moore Wicks Mahoney DeLuca Wilson Anderson Krupsak Cuomo DelBello Anderson Lundine McCaughey Donohue Paterson Bruno Skelos Smith Espada Ravitch Duffy Hochul

Italics indicate acting officeholders

Speakers of the New York State Assembly

Chairmen of the United States House Committee on Agriculture

Forrest Butler Van Rensselaer Spencer Root Bockee Deberry Anderson White Littlefield Floyd Dawson Holloway Whiteley Butterfield Lovejoy Clay Bidwell Trowbridge Wilson Hays Caldwell Cutler Covert Valentine Hatch Funston Hatch Wadsworth Scott Lamb Lever Haugen Jones Fulmer Flannagan Hope Cooley Hope Cooley Poage Foley de la Garza Roberts Smith Combest Goodlatte Peterson Lucas Conaway

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 75314471 LCCN: n85351502 GND: 1037766083 US Congress: R000431

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.