Eli Porter Ashmun

Eli Porter Ashmun (June 24, 1770 – May 10, 1819) was a Federalist United States Senator from Massachusetts who served from 1816 to 1818. Born in the vicinity of Fort Edward, New York, he was the eldest child of Justus and Kezia Ashmun. His early childhood was marked by the upheavals of the American Revolutionary War. In 1777, during the advance of British troops under General John Burgoyne in the Saratoga campaign, the Ashmun family fled the Fort Edward area and settled in Blandford, Massachusetts, where his father operated a tavern.

Ashmun’s formal education was limited, but his aptitude and ambition led him into the study of law under the guidance of the prominent attorney and statesman Theodore Sedgwick. Sedgwick took him under his wing and provided him with legal training sufficient for admission to the bar. After qualifying as an attorney, Ashmun opened the first legal practice in Blandford, establishing himself as a leading figure in the community. He married Lucy Hooker, daughter of John Hooker of Northampton, Massachusetts, and the couple had five children. In recognition of his growing professional stature, Middlebury College awarded him an honorary degree in 1807. That same year he moved to Northampton, where he continued and expanded his law practice.

Ashmun’s political career began in state government. A member of the Federalist Party, he won election to the Massachusetts Senate in 1807 and served in that body from 1808 to 1810. His legislative work at the state level helped build his reputation as a capable Federalist lawmaker during a period of intense partisan conflict in the early republic. In 1816 he further advanced in state politics by serving on the Massachusetts Governor’s Council, an influential advisory body that played a key role in state administration and appointments.

Later in 1816, following the resignation of United States Senator Christopher Gore, Ashmun was elected by the Massachusetts legislature to fill the vacant seat in the United States Senate. He took office on June 12, 1816, as a Federalist Senator representing Massachusetts. His term in the Senate, which lasted until May 10, 1818, coincided with a significant period in American history, as the nation adjusted to the post–War of 1812 environment and navigated evolving party alignments. During his one term in office, Ashmun contributed to the legislative process, participating in the democratic governance of the young republic and representing the interests of his Massachusetts constituents in the federal legislature.

After leaving the Senate in 1818, Ashmun returned to Northampton, where he resumed his legal work and remained a respected figure in the community. He died there on May 10, 1819, possibly of heart disease, and was interred in Northampton’s Bridge Street Cemetery. His family continued his legacy of public service and legal scholarship. His son George Ashmun (1804–1870) served in the United States House of Representatives, carrying the family name into national politics for a second generation. Another son, John Hooker Ashmun, became his partner in the Northampton law practice, later operated the Northampton Law School for several years, and went on to become a prominent legal instructor at Harvard Law School.