Lemuel Stetson

Lemuel Stetson (March 13, 1804 – May 17, 1868) was an attorney, politician, and judge from Plattsburgh, New York. He was most notable for his service as judge of the Clinton County, New York, court and for one term as a United States representative from New York from 1843 to 1845. As a member of the Democratic Party representing New York, Stetson contributed to the legislative process during his single term in Congress, participating in the democratic process during a significant period in American history and representing the interests of his constituents.

Stetson was born in Champlain, New York, one of thirteen children of Reuben and Lois (Smedley) Stetson, who had come from Hardwick, Massachusetts. Raised on his family’s farm, he attended the public schools of Champlain and later the academy in Plattsburgh. At the academy he received additional instruction in classical languages from the principal, reflecting an education that combined basic schooling with more advanced classical studies. To support himself and further his training, Stetson taught school while reading law under several prominent local attorneys, including Julius C. Hubbell of Chazy, Henry K. Averill of Rouses Point, and John Lynde of Plattsburgh.

After completing his legal studies, Stetson was admitted to the bar in 1828 and commenced the practice of law in Keeseville, New York. His legal practice quickly brought him into public life, and he became active in local and regional affairs. In addition to his work as an attorney, he participated in the business development of upstate New York, serving as secretary and as a member of the board of directors of the Clinton and Essex Mutual Insurance Company. His growing reputation as a lawyer and businessman laid the foundation for a political career within the Democratic Party.

Stetson entered elective office as a Democrat and became a significant figure in New York state politics. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1835, 1836, and again in 1842, representing his region in Albany during a period of expanding state infrastructure and party realignments. From 1838 to 1843 he held the post of district attorney of Clinton County, New York, where he was responsible for prosecuting criminal cases and advising county officials. These roles enhanced his standing as both a legal authority and a party leader in northern New York.

In 1842, Stetson was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives and served in the Twenty-eighth Congress from March 4, 1843, to March 3, 1845. During his term in the House of Representatives, he served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Revolutionary Claims, reflecting his involvement in both contemporary diplomatic concerns and the resolution of long-standing claims arising from the Revolutionary era. He also held a leadership position as chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia, giving him a direct role in overseeing legislation affecting the federal capital. His congressional service took place amid debates over territorial expansion, economic policy, and sectional tensions that would later culminate in the Civil War.

After leaving Congress, Stetson remained an influential Democratic figure in New York. In 1846 he served as a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention, where he was chairman of the committee charged with considering the powers and duties of the state legislature, a key assignment in the restructuring of state government. In 1847 he moved to Plattsburgh to assume office as judge of the Clinton County court, a position he held from 1847 to 1851. As county judge he presided over civil and criminal matters and became widely known in the region for his judicial service. Within the Democratic Party, he was deeply involved in the long-running factional dispute between the Barnburners and the Hunkers. Aligning with the more moderate “Soft Hunker” faction, he was the unsuccessful Soft Hunker nominee for New York State Comptroller in 1855.

Stetson continued to play a role in national party politics and in public affairs during the tumultuous years leading up to and during the Civil War. He was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Convention in Baltimore, where he supported Senator Stephen A. Douglas for president amid the party’s sectional split. He returned to the New York State Assembly in 1862, during the American Civil War, serving as a pro-Union Democrat. In that capacity he supported measures to prosecute the war and to prevent the Confederate states from seceding, aligning himself with those Democrats who backed the Lincoln administration’s efforts to preserve the Union while maintaining their party identity.

In his personal life, Stetson married Helen Hascall (1808–1860) in 1831. The couple had several children, including sons Ralph, John, Francis, and William. The family was directly touched by the Civil War: their son John served as lieutenant colonel and second in command of the 59th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was killed during the Maryland campaign, a loss that underscored the war’s personal cost to many political families of the era. Stetson remained in Plattsburgh in his later years, continuing to be regarded as a leading citizen and legal authority in Clinton County.

Lemuel Stetson died in Plattsburgh, New York, on May 17, 1868. He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Plattsburgh, where his grave marks the resting place of a lawyer, legislator, judge, and party leader who participated in state and national affairs during a formative period in New York and United States history.