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Emory B. Pottle

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Emory B. Pottle
From 1911's A History of Ontario County, New York
Member of the United States House of Representatives
In office
March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1861
Preceded byAndrew Oliver
Succeeded byJacob P. Chamberlain
ConstituencyNew York's 26th congressional district
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office
January 1, 1847 – December 31, 1847
Serving with Ezra Pierce
Preceded byElias Cost, Joseph C. Shelton, Alvah Worden
Succeeded byCharles S. Brother, Hiram Ashley
ConstituencyOntario County
Personal details
Born(1815-07-04)July 4, 1815
Naples, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 18, 1891(1891-04-18) (aged 75)
Naples, New York, U.S.
Resting placeRose Ridge Cemetery, Naples, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (from 1856)
Other political
affiliations		Whig (before 1856)
SpouseCatherine S. Maxfield (m. 1847)
Children5
ProfessionAttorney

Emory Bemsley Pottle (July 4, 1815 – April 18, 1891) was an American attorney from Naples, New York. Active in politics as first a Whig, and later a Republican, he served in the New York State Assembly in 1847, and was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1857 to 1861.

Early life

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Pottle was born in Naples, New York on July 4, 1815, a son of Loring Pottle and Betsey (Kibbe) Pottle.[1][2] He pursued classical studies at Penn Yan (New York) Academy.[1] Pottle studied law with the firm of Sibley & Worden in Canandaigua, New York, was admitted to the bar in New York City in 1838 and commenced practice in Springfield, Ohio.[1] He then returned to Naples and continued the practice of law.[1] Active in politics as a Whig, he served as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1847.[1]

Career

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Pottle had interests in several businesses, including serving as president of the Geneva, Hornellsville, and Pine Creek Railroad, and the Geneva and Southwestern Railroad.[3][4] Pottle also raised sheep and maintained vineyards, and served as president of the New York State Grape Growers Association and secretary of the National Wool Growers Association.[5] Pottle was interested in education, and served as president of the board of trustees of the Naples Academy.[6]

U.S. Congressman

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From 1859's McClees' Gallery of Photographic Portraits of the Senators, Representatives & Delegates of the Thirty-fifth Congress

Pottle became a Republican when the party was founded in the mid-1850s.[1] He was a successful Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives in 1856, and he was re-elected in 1858 and served in the 35th and 36th Congresses, March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1861.[1] During his congressional service, Pottle served on the Committee on Expenditures in the Navy Department (35th Congress), and the Committee on Naval Affairs (36th Congress).[7]

Pottle was an opponent of slavery, but argued that the U.S. Constitution sanctioned it, so the federal government could not prohibit it.[8] In arguing that the issue needed to be resolved by the states, Pottle accused Southern slaveowners of falsely calling Republicans abolitionists and actively preventing news on the Republican position from reaching the South.[8] Pottle also warned that of the South attempted to secede, the Northern states would be compelled to enforce the constitution, even if civil war resulted.[8]

Later life

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After leaving Congress, Pottle resumed practicing law in Naples and was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to serve on a commission which prepared a bill for a tariff on wool.[1] In 1872, Pottle joined the Liberal Republican Party, a movement of Republicans who opposed the corruption of Ulysses S. Grant's administration and supported Horace Greeley for president.[9] By 1876, he had returned to the regular Republican fold, and was chosen as a delegate to the state Republican convention.[10]

In 1880, Pottle supported James A. Garfield for president and was a featured speaker at an October Republican mass meeting in Cohocton.[11] Pottle was a supporter of James G. Blaine for president in 1884, and had a leadership role in the Ontario County Blaine and Logan organization.[12] He was a noted orator, and was frequently called upon to speak at Independence Day celebrations, Decoration Day commemorations, and other events.[13][14]

Pottle died in Naples on April 18, 1891.[1] He was interred in Rose Ridge Cemetery.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Joint Committee On Printing, U.S. Congress (1928). Biographical Directory of the American Congress. 1774-1927. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1426 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Moody, Martha L. (1919). Lineage Book of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Vol. LIII. Washington, DC: Juddd & Detweiler. p. 380 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Annual Report of the Railroad Commissioners of the State of New York. Albany, NY: Weed, Parsons & Co. 1875. p. 533 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Annual Report of the State Engineer and Surveyor of the State of New York. Albany, NY: Charles Van Benthuysen & Sons. 1879. p. 220 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Death Notice, Emory B. Pottle". The New York Times. New York, NY. April 19, 1891. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ New York State Senate (1875). Documents of the Senate of the State of New York: Ninety-eighth Session—1875. Vol. II. Albany, NY: Weed, Parsons and Company. p. 415 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Lanman, Charles (1866). Dictionary of the United States Congress. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 305 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b c Crofts, Daniel W. (2016). Lincoln and the Politics of Slavery. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. pp. 202–203. ISBN 978-1-4696-2732-8 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "The Liberal Republican Convention". New York Herald. New York, NY. September 5, 1872. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Ontario County: Second District Convention". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY. August 14, 1876. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "New York State: The Latest News By Mail, and Our Own Special Correspondents; Steuben". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY. October 5, 1880. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "The Campaign Opened". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY. July 25, 1884. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Western New York News: The Naples Centennial". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY. July 6, 1889. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Our Dead Soldiers: Naples". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY. May 31, 1889. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 26th congressional district
1857–1861 		Succeeded by

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

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