Charles Delano

Charles Delano (June 24, 1820 – January 23, 1883) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts and a prominent lawyer and public official in Hampshire County during the mid-nineteenth century. He was born in New Braintree, Massachusetts, on June 24, 1820, and in 1833 moved with his parents to Amherst, Massachusetts, a growing college town that would shape much of his early life and professional development.

Delano attended the common schools in Amherst and pursued higher education at Amherst College, from which he graduated in 1840. While at Amherst College he studied law, preparing for a legal career at a time when formal legal education was often intertwined with collegiate study and apprenticeship. After completing his college education, he continued his legal training and was admitted to the bar in 1842. He then commenced the practice of law in Amherst, establishing himself as a young attorney in the community where he had grown up.

In 1848, Delano relocated to Northampton, Massachusetts, the shire town of Hampshire County, where he continued the practice of law and became increasingly involved in local public affairs. His legal abilities and growing reputation led to his selection as Treasurer of Hampshire County, a position he held from 1849 to 1858. In that role he was responsible for the financial administration of the county during a period of economic and demographic change in western Massachusetts, further enhancing his standing as a trusted public servant and counselor.

Delano entered national politics as a member of the Republican Party, which had emerged in the 1850s in opposition to the expansion of slavery. He was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861) and was reelected to the Thirty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863), representing Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives during the critical years that encompassed the secession crisis and the opening phase of the Civil War. During his two terms in Congress he served as part of the Republican majority that supported the Union war effort and the legislative program of the Abraham Lincoln administration. Delano was not a candidate for renomination in 1862 and, upon the expiration of his second term, he returned to Massachusetts and resumed the practice of law in Northampton.

Following his congressional service, Delano continued to play a significant role in public and civic life in western Massachusetts. In 1874 he was appointed an assistant coroner for the inquest into the deaths resulting from the catastrophic failure of a dam on the Mill River, which caused a devastating flood in Williamsburg, Massachusetts, and neighboring communities. In this capacity he participated in the official investigation into one of the earliest major industrial dam disasters in the United States, helping to examine the causes and consequences of the tragedy. His engagement in this inquiry reflected both his legal expertise and his ongoing commitment to public responsibility.

Delano also devoted part of his later career to educational and institutional service. From 1877 to 1883 he served as a trustee of the Clarke School for the Education of the Deaf in Northampton, one of the pioneering institutions in the United States dedicated to the education of deaf children. As a trustee, he contributed to the governance and oversight of the school during a formative period in its development, supporting efforts to expand educational opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

In addition to these roles, Delano was called upon by state authorities to assist with complex public infrastructure and transportation matters. In 1878, Governor Alexander H. Rice appointed him special counsel for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in matters relating to the Hoosac Tunnel and the Troy and Greenfield Railroad, a major railroad and engineering project in western Massachusetts. Delano served in this capacity until his death, advising the state on legal and financial issues associated with the tunnel and railroad, which were central to improving transportation links between Massachusetts and the interior of the country.

Charles Delano died in Northampton, Massachusetts, on January 23, 1883, while still serving as special counsel to the Commonwealth and as a trustee of the Clarke School. He was interred in Bridge Street Cemetery in Northampton. His career encompassed local and county office, two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and significant legal, investigative, and educational responsibilities, marking him as a notable figure in the civic and political life of nineteenth-century Massachusetts.