Dudley Farlin

Dudley Farlin (September 2, 1777 – September 26, 1837) was an American businessman and Jacksonian politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1835 to 1837. He was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on September 2, 1777. In his early youth he left Connecticut and moved to Dutchess County, New York, reflecting the broader post-Revolutionary migration into upstate New York. He later settled in Warren County, New York, where he would establish himself as a local businessman and public official.

Farlin’s formal education is not extensively documented, which was common for many public figures of his era, but his subsequent career in business and local government suggests he acquired practical training and experience in commerce and public administration. After relocating to Warren County, he engaged in the lumber and grain business, enterprises that were central to the economy of the Adirondack and upper Hudson River regions in the early nineteenth century. His involvement in these industries provided him with both economic standing and familiarity with the needs and concerns of his community.

Farlin’s public career began at the local level in Warrensburg, a town in Warren County. He served as supervisor of the town of Warrensburg from 1818 to 1820, and again in 1827 and 1828. In this capacity he was responsible for overseeing town governance, finances, and local administration at a time when town supervisors played a key role in county affairs. His effectiveness in local office led to further responsibilities, and he was elected sheriff of Warren County, serving in that post in 1821 and 1822, and again in 1828. As sheriff he was charged with enforcing the law, managing the county jail, and executing court orders, positions that placed him at the center of county judicial and civic life.

In addition to his local and county roles, Farlin advanced to state-level office. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1824, representing his region in the lower house of the state legislature. During this period, New York was undergoing significant political and economic change, including debates over internal improvements and the evolving party system. Farlin’s service in the Assembly provided him with legislative experience and broadened his political profile beyond Warren County.

Farlin’s state and local prominence culminated in his election to the United States House of Representatives. He was elected as a member of the Jackson Party, identified nationally as a Jacksonian, to the Twenty-fourth Congress, serving from March 4, 1835, to March 3, 1837. Representing New York in the U.S. House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history marked by the presidency of Andrew Jackson and the early months of Martin Van Buren’s administration. As a Jacksonian, Farlin aligned with the political movement that emphasized expanded participation in the democratic process and opposition to concentrated financial power, and he represented the interests of his New York constituents in national debates of the mid-1830s.

At the conclusion of his single term in Congress, Farlin did not seek or did not secure reelection and returned to private life. He resumed his former business pursuits in the lumber and grain trade in Warrensburg, continuing the commercial activities that had underpinned his rise in local politics. His post-congressional years were brief, as he remained engaged in his community and business affairs until his death.

Dudley Farlin died in Warrensburg, New York, on September 26, 1837. He was interred in Warrensburg Cemetery. His career, spanning local, county, state, and national office, reflected the trajectory of many early nineteenth-century American politicians who combined commercial enterprise with public service and participated in the development of Jacksonian democracy in New York and the nation.