Nicholas Daniel Coleman

Nicholas Daniel Coleman (April 22, 1800 – May 11, 1874) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and a Jacksonian politician active in both state and national public life during the early nineteenth century. He was born in Cynthiana, Harrison County, Kentucky, where he attended local grammar and high schools before pursuing higher education. Demonstrating early academic promise, he enrolled at Transylvania College in Lexington, Kentucky, one of the leading institutions of the region, from which he was graduated before embarking on a legal career.

After completing his studies at Transylvania College, Coleman read law and was admitted to the bar. He commenced the practice of law in Kentucky, building a professional reputation that soon led him into public service. His legal training and growing prominence in local affairs positioned him for entry into state politics at a relatively young age.

Coleman served as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1824 and 1825, participating in the legislative work of the Commonwealth during a period of expanding democratic engagement and party realignment. His service in the state legislature helped establish him as a supporter of the emerging Jacksonian movement, which advocated broader popular participation in government and opposed entrenched political elites.

As a member of the Jackson Party representing Kentucky, Nicholas Daniel Coleman contributed to the legislative process during one term in the United States Congress. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first Congress and served from March 4, 1829, to March 3, 1831. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, coinciding with the presidency of Andrew Jackson and the rise of Jacksonian Democracy. During this time, Coleman participated in the democratic process at the national level and represented the interests of his Kentucky constituents in the House of Representatives.

After the conclusion of his congressional term, Coleman left Kentucky and moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he resumed the practice of law. In his new community he continued to combine legal work with public service. From 1841 to 1844 he served as postmaster of Vicksburg, overseeing local postal operations at a time when the postal service was a critical instrument of communication and commerce in the growing river city. Following his tenure as postmaster, he again returned to the private practice of law in Vicksburg.

Nicholas Daniel Coleman spent the remainder of his life in Mississippi. He died in Vicksburg on May 11, 1874. He was interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg, closing a career that had spanned state and national legislative service as well as long engagement in the legal profession and local public affairs.