Nicholas Bartlett Doe

Nicholas Bartlett Doe (June 16, 1786 – December 6, 1856) was a U.S. Representative from New York and a member of the Whig Party whose public career included service in both state and national legislatures. He was born in New York City on June 16, 1786, at a time when the city was emerging as a major commercial and political center in the early years of the United States.

Doe pursued his education at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, one of the leading preparatory schools in New England. His studies there provided him with a classical education that prepared him for the legal profession and public life. After completing his schooling, he returned to New York to read law, following the customary path of legal apprenticeship of the era.

Having studied law, Doe was admitted to the bar and settled in Saratoga County, New York, where he established a legal practice. His work as a lawyer in this growing region of upstate New York brought him into local affairs and helped build the professional reputation that would support his later political career. By the mid-1820s, he had become sufficiently prominent to enter state politics.

In 1825, Doe served as a member of the New York State Assembly, representing Saratoga County. His tenure in the Assembly placed him within the state’s legislative process during a period of expansion and political realignment in New York, as issues of internal improvements, economic development, and party organization came to the fore. This early legislative experience laid the groundwork for his subsequent service at the federal level.

Doe was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-sixth Congress to fill the vacancy in the U.S. House of Representatives caused by the death of Anson Brown. He took his seat on December 7, 1840, representing New York as a member of the Whig Party during a significant period in American history marked by intense partisan competition and debates over economic policy and federal power. His service in Congress lasted for one term, concluding on March 3, 1841. During this time, he participated in the democratic process and contributed to the legislative work of the House while representing the interests of his New York constituents.

After the completion of his term in Congress, Doe returned to Saratoga County and resumed the practice of law. In 1841, he further contributed to local governance as a trustee of the village of Waterford in Saratoga County, reflecting his continued engagement in public affairs at the community level even after his national service.

Nicholas Bartlett Doe spent his later years in Saratoga County, remaining identified with the legal and civic life of the region. He died at Saratoga Springs, New York, on December 6, 1856. He was interred in Greenridge Cemetery in Saratoga Springs, where his burial marked the close of a career that spanned local, state, and national public service in New York during the first half of the nineteenth century.