Henry J. Scudder | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 1st district | |
In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 | |
Preceded by | Dwight Townsend |
Succeeded by | Henry B. Metcalfe |
Personal details | |
Born | Northport, New York, U.S. | September 18, 1825
Died | February 10, 1886 New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 60)
Political party | Republican |
Spouses | Louisa Henrietta Davies
(m. 1853; died 1864)Emma Willard (m. 1866) |
Relations | Townsend Scudder (nephew) |
Parent(s) | Henry Scudder Elizabeth Hewlett |
Alma mater | Trinity College |
Known for | Founder of Scudder & Carter |
Henry Joel Scudder (September 18, 1825 – February 10, 1886)[1] was a United States Representative from New York.[2]
Born in Northport. He was the son of Henry Scudder (1778–1863) and Elizabeth (née Hewlett) Scudder (1792–1870).[1] His paternal grandparents were Henry Scudder (1743–1822), of Crab Meadow in Long Island, and Phebe Carll Scudder (1743–1821).[1][3] His nephew, Townsend Scudder (July–1960),[4] was a judge and also a U.S. Representative from New York.[2] His maternal grandfather was Divine Hewlett.[3]
Scudder was descended from Thomas Scudder, who immigrated to Salem, Massachusetts, from Kent in 1630,[5] and was related to fellow U.S. Congressmen Tredwell Scudder.[6]
He attended the district school and Huntington Academy. He graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1846.[2]
Following his graduation from Trinity, he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1848 and practiced in New York City. In 1854, he founded the law firm of Scudder & Carter, which is now known as Carter Ledyard & Milburn. He was commissioned captain in the Thirty-seventh Regiment of the New York National Guard in 1862 and served throughout the Civil War.[2]
Scudder was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third Congress, holding office from March 4, 1873, to March 3, 1875. While in Congress, he was assigned to the Committee on War Claims.[7] He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1874 and was a trustee of Trinity College for over twenty years. He resumed the practice of law in New York City,[2] where he was principal counsel for the Standard Oil Company.[7]
In 1876, he was a candidate for Judge of the Superior Court of New York.[8] In 1884, the Republicans of Suffolk County again tried to persuade Scudder to accept the nomination for Judge.[9]
On June 21, 1853, Scudder was married to Louisa Henrietta Davies (1834–1864),[1] the daughter of Prof. Charles Davies of the United States Military Academy.[3] Together, they were the parents of:[2]
After his first wife's death, he remarried to Emma Willard (1835–1893)[20] in 1866.[2][20] Emma was the daughter of John Hart Willard (1810–1883) and a granddaughter of Emma Willard, who founded the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York.[3][21] Together, they were the parents of six children, including:[22]
Scudder died at his residence on East 22nd Street on February 10, 1886, in New York City.[7] He was buried in the family cemetery at Northport.[2] His funeral, held at Calvary Church in New York, was attended by Joseph Hodges Choate, Sen. William M. Evarts, Mayor Grace, ex-Chief Justice Charles P. Daly, William Allen Butler, James C. Carter, Aaron J. Vanderpoel, Elihu Root, Elbridge Thomas Gerry, Col. George Bliss, Benjamin H. Bristow, and Clarence A. Seward.[28]