Enos Hook

Enos Hook (December 3, 1804 – July 15, 1841) was an American politician and lawyer who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1839 until his resignation in 1841, representing the 20th congressional district of Pennsylvania as a Democrat in the 26th United States Congress and the 27th United States Congress. A member of the Democratic Party, he participated in the national legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his constituents from southwestern Pennsylvania.

Hook was born in Waynesburg, Greene County, Pennsylvania, on December 3, 1804. Little is recorded about his early family background or childhood, but he came of age in a region that was then part of the expanding western frontier of the Commonwealth. He was educated locally and pursued the study of law, a common path for ambitious young men seeking entry into public life in the early nineteenth century.

Hook studied law in Pennsylvania and was admitted to the bar in 1826. Following his admission, he commenced the practice of law in his native Waynesburg. His legal career placed him among the professional and civic leadership of Greene County, and his work as an attorney helped establish his reputation and connections within the Democratic Party at both the local and state levels.

Hook’s first significant public office was in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he served from 1837 to 1838. Representing Greene County as a Democrat in the 62nd Pennsylvania General Assembly, he participated in state legislative affairs during a period marked by debates over internal improvements, banking, and the economic dislocations following the Panic of 1837. His service in Harrisburg provided him with legislative experience and visibility that would support his subsequent election to national office.

Building on his state legislative record, Hook was elected as a Democrat to the 26th United States Congress, with his term beginning on March 4, 1839, as the representative of Pennsylvania’s 20th congressional district. He was re-elected to the 27th United States Congress, continuing to serve as a Democratic member of the House of Representatives. During his tenure in Congress, which coincided with the closing years of the Van Buren administration and the beginning of the Harrison–Tyler period, he contributed to the legislative process and participated in the democratic governance of the nation. Contemporary records indicate that Hook missed over 50 percent of the 751 roll call votes taken between December 1839 and March 1841, suggesting either recurring ill health or other constraints on his participation. He resigned his seat on April 18, 1841, during the first session of the 27th Congress. Following his resignation, fellow Democrat Henry White Beeson was elected to serve out the remainder of Hook’s term.

In his personal life, Hook was married to Mary E. Dill. He continued to be associated with Waynesburg throughout his career, maintaining his legal practice there when not engaged in legislative duties. His ties to his hometown remained strong, and he spent his brief period after leaving Congress back in Waynesburg.

Enos Hook died in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, on July 15, 1841, less than three months after his resignation from Congress. He was interred in Green Mount Cemetery in Waynesburg. His career, though relatively short and ending at a young age, reflected the trajectory of many early nineteenth-century Democratic politicians who rose from local legal practice to state office and then to the national legislature, representing the interests of their communities during a formative era in American political development.