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William Gordon (New Hampshire politician)

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William Gordon
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Hampshire's at-large district
In office
March 4, 1797 – June 12, 1800
Preceded byNicholas Gilman
Succeeded bySamuel Tenney
New Hampshire Attorney General
In office
June 12, 1800 – May 8, 1802 (death)
New Hampshire State Senator
In office
1794–1795
Personal details
Born(1763-04-12)April 12, 1763
near Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
DiedMay 8, 1802(1802-05-08) (aged 39)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting placeAmherst Town Hall Burying Ground
Amherst, Hillsborough County
New Hampshire, U.S.
Political partyFederalist
SpouseMary Frances Atherton Gordon
ChildrenWilliam Gordon
Alma materHarvard University
ProfessionLawyer
Politician

William Gordon (April 12, 1763 – May 8, 1802) was an American politician and a United States Representative from the state of New Hampshire.

Early life

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Born near Boston in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, Gordon graduated from Harvard College in 1779, studied law with Joshua Atherton, admitted to the bar in 1787 and commenced practice in Amherst, New Hampshire.[1]

Career

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Gordon was appointed register of probate in 1793 and was a member of the New Hampshire Senate for the seventh district in 1794 and 1795. He was also solicitor of Hillsborough County from 1794 to 1801.

Elected as a Federalist to the Fifth and Sixth Congresses, Gordon served as a United States Representative of the state of New Hampshire from March 4, 1797, until June 12, 1800. He was one of the impeachment managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1798 to conduct the impeachment proceedings against William Blount, a United States Senator from Tennessee. He resigned to accept the office of New Hampshire Attorney General, which he held until his death.

Death

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Gordon died in Boston on May 8, 1802 (age 39 years, 26 days). He was interred at Amherst Town Hall Burying Ground, Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire.

Family life

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Gordon is one of many New Hampshire notables who descends from New Hampshire Pioneer Alexander Gordon. He married Mary Frances Atherton, daughter of Joshua Atherton,[2][3] and they had one son, William.

References

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  1. ^ Secomb, Daniel Franklin (1883). History of the Town of Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire: (first Known as Narragansett Township Number Three, and Subsequently as Southegan West). Evans, Sleeper & Woodbury, 1883 - Amherst (N.H.). p. 887. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  2. ^ Gordon, William; Atherton, Joshua (1852). Memoir of the Hon. Joshua Atherton. Crosby, Nichols. p. 3. ISBN 9780608434889.
  3. ^ "William Gordon". 1997-2014 Ancestry.com. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Hampshire's at-large congressional district

1797-1800
Succeeded by