Daniel Meserve Durell

Daniel Meserve Durell (July 20, 1769 – April 29, 1841) was an American attorney and Democratic-Republican politician in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in the early 1800s, contributing to the legislative process during one term in Congress at a significant period in American history and representing the interests of his New Hampshire constituents.

Durell was born on July 20, 1769, in Lee, in the Province of New Hampshire, the son of Nicholas and Abigail Durell. Raised in colonial New England, he came of age during the closing years of British rule and the early years of the American republic, an environment that helped shape his later commitment to public service and the law. His early life in Lee provided the foundation for his subsequent academic and professional pursuits.

Durell pursued his education at Phillips Exeter Academy, one of New Hampshire’s leading preparatory schools, where he received a classical education that prepared him for advanced study. He then attended Dartmouth College, graduating in 1794. After college he read law, following the customary path of legal apprenticeship of the era, and was admitted to the bar in 1797. He established his law practice in Dover, New Hampshire, where he quickly became a prominent member of the local bar and began to build the legal and civic reputation that would support his later political career.

On June 1, 1800, Durell married Elizabeth Wentworth, a member of a well-known New Hampshire family. Their marriage produced several children, including Mary Jane Durell, Sarah Adeline Durell, Elizabeth Salter Durell, Nicholas St. John Durell, Charles James Fix Durell, Margarett Ann Durell, Edward Henry Durell, and George Clinton Durell. His growing family life in Dover paralleled his rising professional and political responsibilities, anchoring him in the community he served.

As a member of the Republican Party, then known as the Democratic-Republican Party, representing New Hampshire, Durell was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democratic-Republican to the Tenth Congress. He served one term in Congress from March 4, 1807, to March 3, 1809. His tenure in the House occurred during a formative period in the early republic, when issues of national expansion, foreign policy, and the balance of federal and state authority were vigorously contested. During this time he participated in the democratic process on behalf of his New Hampshire constituents, aligning with the Democratic-Republican emphasis on limited federal power and agrarian interests.

After his service in the national legislature, Durell continued his public career at the state level. He served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1816, further contributing to the governance of the state during the post–War of 1812 period. That same year he was appointed Chief Justice of the district court of common pleas, a position he held from 1816 to 1821. In this judicial role he presided over a wide range of civil and criminal matters, helping to shape the administration of justice in New Hampshire at a time when the state’s legal institutions were still developing.

Durell later returned to federal service when he was appointed United States attorney for the district of New Hampshire, serving from 1830 to 1834. As U.S. attorney he represented the federal government in legal proceedings within the district, overseeing prosecutions and civil actions on behalf of the United States and reinforcing the growing structure of federal law in the state. Following these years of public service, he resumed the private practice of law in Dover, continuing to be regarded as an experienced and respected member of the New Hampshire bar.

Daniel Meserve Durell died in Dover, New Hampshire, on April 29, 1841. He was interred in Pine Hill Cemetery in Dover. His life and career, noted in later legal and historical works such as Charles Henry Bell’s “The Bench and Bar of New Hampshire,” reflect the trajectory of an early American lawyer-statesman who moved between private practice, legislative service, and judicial and federal office during the formative decades of the United States.