Charles Humphrey Atherton

Charles Humphrey Atherton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Hampshire's At-large Congressional district
In office March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817
Preceded by	Samuel Smith
Succeeded by	Nathaniel Upham
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
In office 1823–1839
Personal details
Born	August 14, 1773 Amherst, New Hampshire, U.S.
Died	January 8, 1853 (aged 79) Amherst, New Hampshire, U.S.
Resting place	Old Cemetery Amherst, New Hampshire
Citizenship	US
Political party	Federalist
Spouse(s)	Mary Ann Toppan Atherton
Relations	William Gordon
Children	Charles Gordon Atherton
Alma mater	Harvard University
Profession	Lawyer Politician Farmer Banker
Religion	Unitarian

Charles Humphrey Atherton (August 14, 1773 – January 8, 1853) was an American lawyer, banker and politician from New Hampshire. He served as a United States Representative from New Hampshire and as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives during the early 1800s.

Early life

Born in Amherst, New Hampshire, Atherton was the son of Joshua and Abigail (Goss) Atherton.^[1] He graduated from Harvard University in 1794,^[2] and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.^[3] He was admitted to the bar in 1797 and started practicing law in Amherst.^[4]

Career

He served as register of probate for Hillsborough County from 1798-1807.^[5] Elected as a Federalist candidate to the United States House of Representatives in the Fourteenth United States Congress, he served in Congress from March 4, 1815 to March 3, 1817.^[6] He declined to run for reelection in 1816 and instead served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1823-1839. A prominent figure in the local Unitarian movement, he later helped establish The Christian Society in Amherst.^[7]

After leaving the State House, Atherton resumed the practice of law and was one of the founders of the Hillsborough County Agricultural Society. He was president of the board of directors of the Farmers' Bank when it was formed in 1825 and served during the existence of the corporation. He was a member of the New Hampshire Historical Society,^[8] and was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1815.^[9]

Death

Atherton died in Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, on January 8, 1853 (age 79 years, 147 days). He is interred at Old Cemetery in Amherst, New Hampshire. He had accumulated one of the largest estates ever left in Amherst.^[10]

Personal life

On October 30, 1803, Atherton married Mary Ann Toppan.^[11] They had seven children, and their son Charles Gordon Atherton was a United States Senator.^[12][13] Atherton's brother-in-law William Gordon was also a U.S. Representative from New Hampshire.^[14]

References

1. Bell, Charles Henry (1893). The bench and bar of New Hampshire: including biographical notices of deceased judges of the highest court, and lawyers of the province and state, and a list of names of those now living. Houghton, Mifflin and company. p. 147.
2. Harvard University (1915). Quinquennial Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Harvard University, 1636-1915. Harvard University Press. p. 158.
3. Phi Beta Kappa. Mass. Alpha, Harvard university (1839). A Catalogue of the Fraternity of # B K, Alpha of Massachusetts... Harvard University, Cambridge, 1839. Folsom, Wells, and Thurston. p. 10.
4. Poore, Benjamin Perley (1878). The Political Register and Congressional Directory: A Statistical Record of the Federal Officials, Legislative, Executive, and Judicial, of the United States of America, 1776-1878. Houghton, Osgood. p. 264.
5. Palmer, Joseph (1864). MECROLOGY OF ALUMNI OF HARVARD COLLEGE. Joseph Palmer. p. 12.
6. O. Everett (1852). The Christian Examiner, Volumes 53-54. O. Everett. p. 349.
7. "Charles Humphrey Atherton". The Cabinet © 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
8. J. T. White Company (1901). The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Being the History of the United States as Illustrated in the Lives of the Founders, Builders, and Defenders of the Republic, and of the Men and Women who are Doing the Work and Moulding the Thought of the Present Time, Volume 11. J. T. White Company. p. 460.
9. American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
10. Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 221.
11. Means, Anne Middleton (1921). Amherst and Our Family Tree. Priv. print. p. 66.
12. "Charles Gordon Atherton". 2014 Geni.com. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
13. "ATHERTON, Charles Gordon, (1804 - 1853)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
14. Bell, Charles Henry (1893). The bench and bar of New Hampshire: including biographical notices of deceased judges of the highest court, and lawyers of the province and state, and a list of names of those now living. Houghton, Mifflin and company. p. 147.

External links

• Charles Humphrey Atherton at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Charles Humphrey Atherton at Find-A-Grave