Jonas Earll

Jonas Earll Jr. (1786 – October 28, 1846, in Syracuse, New York) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1827 to 1831. He was the son of Jonas Earll and Experience (Sprague) Earll and was probably born at Whitehall, in Washington County, New York. By 1790, the Earll family was recorded in the federal census at Granville in Washington County, indicating that he spent his early years in that region of upstate New York. He was a cousin of Nehemiah H. Earll, who would also later serve in the United States Congress.

Earll’s early public career developed in Onondaga County, New York, where he became a prominent local official. He served as Sheriff of Onondaga County from 1815 to 1819, a position that placed him at the center of county law enforcement and administration during a period of rapid growth and settlement in central New York. His work as sheriff helped establish his reputation as a capable public servant and laid the groundwork for his subsequent entry into state-level politics.

Building on his local prominence, Earll was elected to the New York State Assembly representing Onondaga County, serving in the sessions of 1820 and 1820–21. He then advanced to the New York State Senate, where he represented the 7th District from 1823 to 1826. During these years in the state legislature, he participated in shaping New York’s laws and policies at a time when the state was expanding economically and politically, particularly with the development of its canal system and growing influence in national affairs.

Earll entered national politics as a member of the Jackson Party, later known as the Jacksonian Democrats, reflecting his alignment with the political movement surrounding Andrew Jackson. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the 20th and 21st United States Congresses and served as a U.S. Representative from New York from March 4, 1827, to March 3, 1831. During his two terms in Congress, he contributed to the legislative process in a period marked by intense debates over federal power, economic policy, and democratic participation. In the 21st Congress he served as Chairman of the House Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State, overseeing and reviewing the financial administration of that department. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, and he participated actively in the democratic process while representing the interests of his New York constituents.

After leaving Congress, Earll played a major role in the development and oversight of New York’s canal system, one of the most important infrastructure undertakings of the era. In May 1831, Governor Enos T. Throop appointed him a Canal Commissioner to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Henry Seymour. In January 1832, the New York State Legislature elected him to succeed himself in that office. He remained a canal commissioner until February 1840, when a newly ascendant Whig majority in the legislature removed all Democratic commissioners, reflecting the intense partisan struggles of the period. His work as commissioner placed him at the center of policy and management decisions affecting the Erie Canal and related waterways, which were crucial to New York’s commercial dominance.

Following his removal from the canal commission, Earll continued in federal-related service at the local level. He was appointed Postmaster of Syracuse, New York, serving from June 26, 1840, to March 10, 1842. In this capacity he oversaw postal operations in a growing urban center, at a time when reliable mail service was increasingly important to commerce, politics, and communication across the expanding nation.

Earll returned to canal administration in 1842 as partisan control in the state shifted once again. In February 1842, the New York State Legislature removed the Whig canal commissioners, and Earll was again elected one of the canal commissioners. When New York moved to elect canal commissioners by general ballot, he stood for election statewide and, in November 1844, became one of the first canal commissioners chosen by popular vote. He drew a two-year term and continued in office until his death. Jonas Earll Jr. died in office on October 28, 1846, in Syracuse, New York, while still serving as a canal commissioner. He was buried at Walnut Grove Cemetery in Onondaga Hill, New York, closing a long career in which he held local, state, and federal offices and played a sustained role in both legislative affairs and the management of New York’s vital canal system.