William Plumer
William Plumer | |
---|---|
United States Senator from New Hampshire | |
In office June 17, 1802 – March 3, 1807 | |
Preceded by | James Sheafe |
Succeeded by | Nahum Parker |
7th Governor of New Hampshire | |
In office June 5, 1812 – June 3, 1813 | |
Preceded by | John Langdon |
Succeeded by | John T. Gilman |
In office June 6, 1816 – June 3, 1819 | |
Preceded by | John T. Gilman |
Succeeded by | Samuel Bell |
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | |
In office 1788 1790–1791 1797–1800 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Newburyport, Massachusetts | June 25, 1759
Died | December 22, 1850 Epping, New Hampshire | (aged 91)
Political party | Democratic-Republican |
Other political affiliations | Federalist |
Spouse | Sarah Fowler Plumer (1762–1852) |
Children | William Plumer, Jr. |
Residence | Epping, New Hampshire |
Alma mater | Newburyport South Writing School |
Profession | Attorney |
William Plumer (June 25, 1759 – December 22, 1850) was an American lawyer and Baptist lay preacher from Epping, New Hampshire. Born in 1759 in Newburyport, Massachusetts, he represented New Hampshire as a Federalist in the United States Senate from June 17, 1802 to March 3, 1807. Plumer later became a Democratic-Republican and served as Governor of New Hampshire, 1812–1813 and 1816–1819. He also served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
In the 1820 presidential election, he cast the only dissenting vote in the Electoral College against incumbent President James Monroe, voting instead for John Quincy Adams. While some accounts say that this was to ensure that George Washington remained the only American president unanimously chosen by the Electoral College, others assert that he was instead calling attention to his friend Adams as a potential future presidential candidate, or protesting against the "wasteful extravagance" of the Monroe Administration. Plumer also eschewed voting for Daniel D. Tompkins for Vice President as "grossly intemperate" and having "not that weight of character which his office requires," and also "because he grossly neglected his duty" in his "only" official role as president of the Senate by being "absent nearly three-fourths of the time."[1] Plumer instead voted for Richard Rush.
In 1803, Plumer was one of several New England Federalists who proposed secession from the United States due to lack of support for Federalists, rising influence of Jeffersonian Democrats and the diminished influence of the North due to the Louisiana Purchase.
Plumer was a founder and the first president of the New Hampshire Historical Society. He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1815.[2] Plumer died in Epping on December 22, 1850, and was buried at the Plumer Family Cemetery in Epping.
William Plumer was the father of William Plumer, Jr., who served in the United States House of Representatives.
See also
References
- ^ "Daniel D. Tompkins, 6th Vice President (1817-1825)" United States Senate web site.
- ^ American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
External links
- Works by William Plumer at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about William Plumer at the Internet Archive
- A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns, 1787-1825
- United States Congress. "William Plumer (id: P000393)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- William Plumer at Find a Grave
- William Plumer at National Governors Association
- Memoir of William Plumer, Senior, by Albert Harrison Hoyt. 1871.
- 1759 births
- 1850 deaths
- Politicians from Newburyport, Massachusetts
- People from Epping, New Hampshire
- Baptists from the United States
- New Hampshire Federalists
- New Hampshire Democratic-Republicans
- Members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
- Governors of New Hampshire
- Faithless electors
- United States Senators from New Hampshire
- Federalist Party United States Senators
- Writers from Newburyport, Massachusetts
- Writers from New Hampshire
- Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States
- Members of the American Antiquarian Society