Samuel Lilly

Samuel Lilly (October 28, 1815 – April 3, 1880) was an American Democratic Party politician, physician, and jurist who represented New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for one term from 1853 to 1855. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, and he participated actively in the legislative process while representing the interests of his New Jersey constituents.

Lilly was born on October 28, 1815, in Geneva, New York. In 1829 he moved with his family to Lambertville, New Jersey, which would remain his principal home for the rest of his life. He received his early education at P. O. Studdiford’s classical school, a local institution that prepared students for professional and collegiate study. Pursuing a career in medicine, he enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and graduated on March 31, 1837.

Following his medical training, Lilly returned to Lambertville and established a medical practice, becoming a prominent physician in the community. His standing in local affairs led to his election as the first mayor of Lambertville, serving from 1849 to 1852. In this role he helped organize the municipal government of the newly incorporated city and oversaw its early civic development. During these years he also became active in county and state affairs, laying the groundwork for his later political and judicial career.

Lilly was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress, representing New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district, and served from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855. As a member of the Democratic Party representing New Jersey, he contributed to the legislative process during his single term in office. In Congress he served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department, where he was responsible for overseeing and reviewing federal postal spending at a time when the postal system was expanding rapidly across the growing nation.

After leaving Congress, Lilly continued to play a significant role in New Jersey public life. He served as director of the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Hunterdon County for eight years, participating in county governance and infrastructure oversight. He also held the rank of brigadier general in the New Jersey Militia, reflecting his involvement in the state’s military organization. On January 3, 1861, President James Buchanan appointed him consul general of the United States to British India, with residence in Calcutta. Lilly served in that diplomatic post until July 4, 1862, when he resigned and returned to New Jersey.

Lilly’s later career was distinguished by extensive judicial and institutional service. He was judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Hunterdon County from 1868 to 1873, presiding over local civil and criminal matters. In 1871 he became one of the members of the board of managers of the New Jersey Insane Asylum, and he also served as a commissioner of the New Jersey Lunatic Asylum, reflecting his longstanding interest in medical and mental health institutions. From 1873 until his death he was a judge of the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, then the state’s highest court, and concurrently a member of the State Board of Pardons, participating in the review of clemency petitions and the development of state jurisprudence. In the medical profession, he served as president of the New Jersey Medical Society and of the District Medical Society of Hunterdon County, maintaining his influence in both law and medicine.

In his personal life, Lilly married his first wife in October 1839. After her death, he married his second wife on February 12, 1860. Both of his wives predeceased him. Samuel Lilly died on April 3, 1880, in Lambertville, New Jersey. He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in Lambertville, closing a career that had encompassed medicine, municipal leadership, congressional service, diplomacy, county administration, and high judicial office in New Jersey.