Robert Monell

Robert Monell (April 25, 1787 – November 29, 1860) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from New York who served in the United States House of Representatives and held a series of important state and local offices during the early nineteenth century. From 1829 to 1831, he served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Jacksonian, representing New York during a significant period in American political realignment and democratic expansion.

Monell was born in Columbia County, New York, on April 25, 1787. Little is recorded about his family background or early youth, but he came of age in the post-Revolutionary era, when New York was rapidly developing both politically and economically. He pursued legal studies as a young man, preparing for admission to the bar at a time when formal legal education was typically obtained through apprenticeship in established law offices.

Monell was admitted to the bar in 1809 and commenced the practice of law at Binghamton, New York. In 1811 he relocated to Greene, in Chenango County, which became the principal base of his professional and political life. His legal practice in this growing community helped establish his reputation and provided a foundation for his entry into public service. Over the next several decades he combined an active legal career with repeated service in elective and appointive offices at both the state and federal levels.

Monell’s political career began in the New York State Assembly, where he served as a member from Chenango County in 1814 and 1815. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Sixteenth United States Congress and served from March 4, 1819, to March 3, 1821. During this first term in Congress he participated in the legislative process in the immediate post–War of 1812 period, representing the interests of his New York constituents as the nation addressed issues of internal improvements, finance, and westward expansion. After returning to New York, he remained active in state politics and was again elected to the State Assembly, serving additional terms in 1825, 1826, and 1828. In 1827 he was appointed district attorney of Chenango County, further solidifying his standing as a leading legal figure in the region.

Monell returned to national office as a member of the Jackson Party, reflecting the emerging Jacksonian movement within American politics. As a Jacksonian, he was elected to the Twenty-first United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1829, to February 21, 1831. Although he is often described as having served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Jacksonian from 1829 to 1831, his overall service in Congress comprised two distinct terms: his earlier Democratic-Republican term from 1819 to 1821 and his later Jacksonian term beginning in 1829. During these periods he contributed to the legislative process at a time of significant national change, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his New York constituents. He resigned from Congress on February 21, 1831, before the completion of his second congressional term.

Following his resignation from Congress, Monell transitioned to a judicial career. In 1831 he was appointed judge of the Sixth Circuit Court of New York, a position he held until 1846. His fifteen-year tenure on the circuit court bench placed him at the center of important developments in New York’s legal system during a period of rapid growth and institutional reform. As a circuit judge he presided over a wide range of civil and criminal matters, traveling within the circuit and helping to shape the application of state law in an era when judicial decisions played a crucial role in commercial and social life. After leaving the bench in 1846, he resumed the practice of law, returning to private legal work while maintaining his stature as an experienced jurist and public figure.

Monell spent his later years in Greene, New York, where he had long been a prominent member of the bar and community. He died there on November 29, 1860. He was buried in Hornby Cemetery in Greene, Chenango County, New York. His career, spanning service in the New York State Assembly, two nonconsecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democratic-Republican and later as a Jacksonian, and a lengthy judgeship on the Sixth Circuit Court, reflected the evolving political and legal landscape of New York and the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century.