Joseph Hasbrouck Tuthill

Joseph Hasbrouck Tuthill (February 25, 1811 – July 27, 1877) was a U.S. Representative from New York and a member of the Democratic Party, noted for his service in local and county offices in Ulster County as well as one term in the United States Congress. He was the nephew of Selah Tuthill, who had also been elected to Congress but died before taking his seat.

Tuthill was born in Blooming Grove, Orange County, New York, on February 25, 1811. He received his early education in Blooming Grove and, after moving with his parents in 1824, in Shawangunk, New York. His upbringing in the Hudson Valley region placed him in a largely rural, agricultural setting that would shape his later pursuits as both a farmer and local businessman.

In 1828 Tuthill moved to New York City, where he was exposed to the commercial life of the growing metropolis. He returned to Ulster County in the early 1830s, settling first in Ulsterville (now a hamlet of Wawarsing) in 1832 and then in Ellenville, also part of the town of Wawarsing, in 1834. In Ellenville he established himself as a merchant and farmer and became a prominent figure in the community’s economic development. He served as president of the Ellenville Glass Works, an important local industry, and as president of the Ellenville Savings Bank, reflecting his role in regional finance and commerce. In addition, he was appointed postmaster of Ellenville, managing the community’s postal affairs at a time when reliable communication was vital to local trade and civic life.

A Democrat, Tuthill entered public service at the town and county levels well before his tenure in Congress. He served as supervisor of the town of Wawarsing and, by virtue of that office, as a member of the Ulster County Board of Supervisors during multiple periods: from 1842 to 1843, again from 1862 to 1863, and from 1866 to 1869. From 1843 to 1847 he held the office of Ulster County clerk, overseeing important county records and administrative functions. His repeated elections to local office demonstrated the confidence placed in him by his constituents and established his reputation as a capable Democratic leader in Ulster County.

During the American Civil War, Tuthill continued his public service as excise commissioner for Ulster County. In this capacity he was responsible for collecting taxes on goods and services levied to support the Union war effort and for assessing fines on individuals who attempted to evade payment of these taxes. His work as excise commissioner placed him at the intersection of local administration and national policy at a time of intense fiscal and political strain.

Tuthill sought to extend his public service to the national level in the years following the war. He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Congress in 1866, during the early Reconstruction period. Persisting in his political ambitions, he ran again in 1870 and was elected to represent New York in the Forty-second Congress. As a member of the Democratic Party representing New York, Joseph Hasbrouck Tuthill contributed to the legislative process during one term in office, serving from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 1873. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, as the nation grappled with Reconstruction, economic adjustment after the Civil War, and evolving questions of federal and state authority. In this context, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his Ulster County and Hudson Valley constituents.

After completing his single term in Congress, Tuthill returned to Ellenville, where he resumed his business and agricultural pursuits and remained a respected figure in local affairs. He continued to be associated with the community whose growth he had helped foster through his roles in industry, banking, and public office.

Joseph Hasbrouck Tuthill died in Ellenville, New York, on July 27, 1877. He was interred in Fantinekill Cemetery, near Ellenville. His life and career reflected the trajectory of a nineteenth-century New York Democrat who rose from local business and town offices to serve in the United States House of Representatives, while maintaining close ties to the community in which he had long lived and worked.