Henry A. Foster

Henry Allen Foster
United States Senator from New York
In office November 30, 1844 – January 27, 1845
Preceded by	Silas Wright
Succeeded by	John A. Dix
Personal details
Born	May 7, 1800(1800-05-07) Hartford, Connecticut
Died	May 11, 1889(1889-05-11) (aged 89) Rome, New York
Political party	Democratic

Henry Allen Foster (May 7, 1800 – May 11, 1889) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was a United States Senator from 1844 to 1845.

Life

His family moved to Cazenovia, New York when he was a boy. He was admitted to the bar in 1822, and commenced practice in Rome, NY.

He was Surrogate of Oneida County from 1827 to 1831, and from 1835 to 1839, and Supervisor of the Town of Rome from 1829 to 1830, and from 1833 to 1834. He was a member of the New York State Senate (5th District) from 1831 to 1834, and from 1841 to 1844, sitting in the 54th, 55th, 56th, 57th, 64th, 65th, 66th and 67th New York State Legislatures.

Foster was elected as a Democrat to the 25th United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1837, to March 4, 1839. Afterwards, he resumed the practice of law in Rome, NY. He was appointed as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Silas Wright, and served from November 30, 1844, to January 27, 1845, when a successor was elected by the State Legislature.

He was a justice of the New York Supreme Court (5th D.) from 1864 to 1871, and was ex officio a judge of the New York Court of Appeals in 1870. He was later President of the Board of Trustees of Hamilton College and Vice President of the American Colonization Society.

He was buried at the Rome Cemetery in Rome, NY.

References

• Henry A. Foster at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 128ff, 133f, 140 and 415; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
• [1] Court of Appeals judges

New York State Senate
Preceded by Truman Enos	New York State Senate Fifth District (Class 4) 1831–1834	Succeeded by Abijah Beckwith
Preceded by David Wager	New York State Senate Fifth District (Class 2) 1841–1844	Succeeded by Enoch B. Talcott
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Rutger B. Miller	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 17th congressional district 1837–1839	Succeeded by David P. Brewster
United States Senate
Preceded by Silas Wright	United States Senator (Class 3) from New York 1844 - 1845 Served alongside: Daniel S. Dickinson	Succeeded by John Adams Dix
Honorary titles
Preceded by John Pendleton King	Most Senior Living U.S. Senator (Sitting or Former) March 19, 1888 - May 11, 1889	Succeeded by Simon Cameron