Henry Roberts Pease
United States Senator from Mississippi
In office February 3, 1874 – March 4, 1875
Preceded by	Adelbert Ames
Succeeded by	Blanche K. Bruce
Personal details
Born	(1835-02-19)February 19, 1835 Winsted, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	January 2, 1907(1907-01-02) (aged 71) Watertown, South Dakota, U.S.
Resting place	Mount Hope Cemetery, Watertown, South Dakota
Political party	Republican
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Union Army
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	American Civil War

Henry Roberts Pease (February 19, 1835 – January 2, 1907) was an American lawyer, educator, and politician who served as a United States senator for Mississippi from 1874 to 1875. He also served as the state's first superintendent of education and was a member of the South Dakota Senate for one term.

Early life and education

Born in Winsted, Connecticut, Pease received a normal school training.

Career

Pease engaged in teaching from 1848 to 1859, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1859 and commenced practice in Washington, D.C. During the Civil War, he entered the Union Army as a private in 1862 and attained the rank of captain; he was superintendent of education of Louisiana while that state was under military rule and was appointed superintendent of education of freedmen in Mississippi in 1867. In 1869, he was elected state superintendent of education of Mississippi.^[1]

Pease was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Adelbert Ames and served from February 3, 1874, to March 4, 1875. He chose not to run for reelection. In 1875, he was appointed postmaster of Vicksburg, Mississippi by President Ulysses S. Grant, and he established and edited the Mississippi Educational Journal.

Pease moved to Dakota in 1881 and settled in Watertown (now South Dakota) where he was receiver of the United States General Land Office from 1881 to 1885. From 1895 to 1896 he served one term as a member of the South Dakota Senate, representing Marshall and Roberts Counties.^[2]

Personal life

Pease died in Watertown in 1907; interment was in Mount Hope Cemetery.