Abraham P. Stephens

Abraham P. Stephens (February 18, 1796 – November 25, 1859) was an American businessman, local official, and Democratic politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1851 to 1853. He was born near New City, in what is now Rockland County, New York, where he was educated in local schools and grew up in a rural community that would remain the center of his business and political life.

As a young man, Stephens entered commercial pursuits, owning and operating a store near Rockland Lake, New York. His standing in the community led to his appointment as postmaster, a position that placed him at the center of local communications and commerce. In addition to his mercantile activities, he became involved in transportation enterprises, most notably as a participant in the Sing Sing and Rockland Lake Ferry Company, which helped facilitate travel and trade across the Hudson River corridor.

During the War of 1812, Stephens served in the New York Militia, reflecting the common practice of local service in defense of the state and nation. He attained the rank of corporal in Captain Theunis Cooper’s company of Colonel Benjamin J. Gurnee’s regiment. His unit served at Harlem Heights from September to December 1814, a period during which New York remained on alert against potential British incursions.

Stephens’s local prominence expanded through a series of public offices in Rockland County. From 1825 to 1828 he served as sheriff of Rockland County, overseeing law enforcement and the administration of county courts. He also held the office of justice of the peace, further embedding him in the legal and civic affairs of the region. Politically aligned with the Democratic Party, he became chairman of the Rockland County Democratic Party, playing a leading role in organizing and directing the party’s activities at the county level.

Building on his local and county service, Stephens was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-second Congress, representing New York in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1851, to March 3, 1853. As a member of the Democratic Party representing New York, he contributed to the legislative process during his single term in office. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history marked by sectional tensions and debates over slavery, territorial expansion, and economic policy, and he participated in the democratic process by representing the interests of his Rockland County and lower Hudson Valley constituents in the national legislature.

After leaving Congress, Stephens returned to his business and community affairs in Rockland County. He continued to be regarded as a figure of local importance, drawing on his experience in commerce, county administration, and national politics. He died in Nyack, New York, on November 25, 1859. Abraham P. Stephens was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Nyack, where his grave marks the resting place of a merchant, militia veteran, county officer, party leader, and former member of the United States House of Representatives.