Peter Carleton

Peter Carleton (September 19, 1755 – April 29, 1828) was an American politician, farmer, and United States representative from New Hampshire. He lived and served during the formative decades of the United States, participating in the early development of the nation’s political institutions and representing the interests of his constituents in the federal government.

Born on September 19, 1755, Carleton came of age in the era leading up to the American Revolution, a period marked by growing colonial resistance to British authority and the eventual struggle for independence. Although detailed records of his early life and family background are limited, his later career as a farmer suggests that he was closely tied to the agrarian economy that characterized much of New Hampshire and New England in the late eighteenth century. His experiences in this rural setting likely informed his understanding of the economic and social concerns of the people he would later represent.

Carleton’s principal occupation was farming, a common livelihood in New Hampshire at the time and one that placed him within the broad class of citizen-farmers who formed the backbone of early American society. As a farmer, he would have been directly engaged with issues such as land use, local markets, taxation, and infrastructure, all of which were central to political debates in the early republic. This practical background helped shape his perspective as he moved into public life and contributed to his credibility among voters who shared similar concerns.

Carleton entered national politics as a member of the Republican Party, often referred to in this period as the Democratic-Republican Party, which generally advocated for limited federal government, support for agriculture, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. Representing New Hampshire, he served one term in the United States Congress, where he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history. His tenure in the House of Representatives placed him among the generation of lawmakers who were defining the scope and function of the federal government in the years after the adoption of the Constitution and the establishment of the new republic.

During his single term in Congress, Carleton participated in the democratic process by debating and voting on measures that affected both his state and the nation as a whole. As a Republican representative from New Hampshire, he was part of the broader political realignment that saw the rise of party competition between Federalists and Republicans, reflecting differing visions of economic development, foreign policy, and the balance of power between the states and the federal government. In this capacity, he represented the interests of his constituents, particularly those in the agricultural communities whose livelihoods depended on stable governance and responsive public policy.

After completing his service in Congress, Carleton returned to private life and to his work as a farmer in New Hampshire. Like many early American legislators, his political service was one phase of a broader life rooted in local community and economic activity rather than a permanent professional political career. His post-congressional years were spent in the same regional setting that had shaped his early life and informed his public service, reflecting the early republican ideal of the citizen-legislator who alternated between public duty and private occupation.

Peter Carleton died on April 29, 1828. His life spanned from the pre-Revolutionary colonial era through the establishment and consolidation of the United States under the Constitution. As a farmer and a Republican member of Congress from New Hampshire who served one term in the House of Representatives, he took part in the evolving democratic experiment of the early republic and contributed to the representation of his state during a formative period in American political history.