Job Pierson

Job Pierson (September 23, 1791 – April 9, 1860) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1831 to 1835. He was born in East Hampton, New York, and attended the common schools there. Little is recorded about his early family life, but his subsequent education and career reflect the opportunities available to a young man of ability in the early republic.

Pierson pursued higher education at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, from which he graduated in 1811. After college he read law, studying in the New York communities of Salem and Schaghticoke. He was admitted to the bar in 1815 and commenced the practice of law in Rensselaer County, New York. Establishing himself as a practicing attorney, he quickly became a figure of some prominence in the local legal community.

Pierson’s legal career advanced when he was appointed district attorney of Rensselaer County, a position he held from 1824 to 1833. In that capacity he was responsible for prosecuting criminal cases on behalf of the state, gaining extensive courtroom experience and a reputation that helped propel him into elective office. His work as district attorney coincided with a period of rapid political change in New York and the nation, as the emerging Democratic Party coalesced around the leadership of Andrew Jackson.

As a member of the Jackson Party representing New York, Pierson entered national politics when he was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-second and Twenty-third Congresses, serving from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1835. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, as the country grappled with issues such as federal authority, banking policy, and relations with Native American nations. During his two terms in office he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his New York constituents within the broader Jacksonian Democratic coalition. A passionate supporter of President Andrew Jackson, he aligned himself with the administration’s positions on major questions of the day, including the controversy over the Second Bank of the United States and the debates surrounding the Tariff of 1833 and the Nullification Crisis.

Pierson was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Twenty-fourth Congress in 1834. Following his departure from the House of Representatives in March 1835, he resumed the practice of law in New York. That same year he was appointed Surrogate of Rensselaer County, an office he held from 1835 to 1840, in which he oversaw probate matters, wills, and the administration of estates. His continued public service at the county level reflected his ongoing engagement with the legal and civic affairs of his community.

In addition to his legal and judicial responsibilities, Pierson remained active in national party politics. He served as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1848, 1852, and 1856, participating in the nomination of Democratic presidential candidates and in shaping the party’s platforms during a period marked by sectional tensions and debates over slavery and territorial expansion. His long-standing loyalty to the Democratic Party and the Jacksonian tradition was also evident in his extensive personal correspondence.

The Library of Congress holds the Job Pierson Family Papers in its Manuscript Division, consisting of approximately 350 letters written by Pierson to his wife, Clarissa Bulkeley Pierson, between 1831 and 1835. These letters, composed during his two congressional terms, focus almost exclusively on political and social events in Washington, D.C. They provide detailed accounts of President Andrew Jackson and other major political figures, including Martin Van Buren, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun, and discuss the central issues of Jacksonian politics such as the Cherokee Nation’s legal status, the Second Bank of the United States, the Tariff of 1833, and the Nullification Crisis. The correspondence also offers insight into Democratic efforts to maintain party discipline in Congress, the daily work routines of legislators, Washington social life, and the boarding-house arrangements that characterized the experience of many members of Congress in that era.

Job Pierson died in Troy, New York, on April 9, 1860. He was interred in Oakwood Cemetery in Troy. His career as a lawyer, district attorney, congressman, county surrogate, and party delegate, together with the rich documentary record preserved in his family papers, provides a window into the political and legal culture of New York and the United States during the Jacksonian period.