Elisha Mills Huntington | |
|---|---|
 Lithograph of Huntington by Charles Fenderich, 1842 | |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Indiana | |
| In office May 2, 1842 – October 26, 1862 | |
| Appointed by | John Tyler |
| Preceded by | Jesse Lynch Holman |
| Succeeded by | Caleb Blood Smith |
| Commissioner of theUnited States General Land Office | |
| In office June 2, 1841 – May 2, 1842 | |
| Appointed by | John Tyler |
| Preceded by | James Whitcomb |
| Succeeded by | Thomas H. Blake |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elisha Mills Huntington (1806-03-29)March 29, 1806 |
| Died | October 26, 1862(1862-10-26) (aged 56) |
| Party | Whig |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Nathaniel Huntington Mary Corning |
| Relatives | Bob Huntington (grandson) |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Elisha Mills Huntington (March 29, 1806 – October 26, 1862) wasCommissioner of theUnited States General Land Office and aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Indiana.
Huntington was born on March 27, 1806, inButternuts,New York. He was a son of Mary (née Corning) Huntington (1763–1852) and Nathaniel Huntington (1763–1815).[1] Among his siblings wasNathaniel Huntington, a member of theIndiana House of Representatives from 1827 to 1828,[2] andJames Huntington, a member ofNew York State Senate from 1856 to 1857.[3]
His paternal grandparents were Dinah (née Rudd) Huntington and Eliphalet Huntington, a brother ofSamuel Huntington, the 7thPresident of the Continental Congress and 18thGovernor of Connecticut.[1]
After receiving an education atCanandaigua, New York with his uncle Elisha Mills, at the age of fourteen he entered the law office ofMark H. Sibley (later aNew York State Senator and aU.S. Representative) andread law. In 1822, he went to Indiana with his elder brother Nathaniel where he studied for four years before being admitted to the state bar.[4] He entered private practice inCannelton,Indiana from 1827 to 1830. In 1830, he was appointed the first prosecutor for the Seventh Judicial Circuit of Indiana, serving until 1832.[5]
For the next four years, he was a member of theIndiana House of Representatives, serving from 1832 to 1836. He resumed private practice inVigo County, Indiana from 1834 to 1837. He was Presiding Judge of the Indiana Circuit Court for the Seventh Judicial Circuit from 1837 to 1841. PresidentJohn Tyler appointed himCommissioner of theUnited States General Land Office inWashington, D.C. from 1841 to 1842.[6]
On April 26, 1842, Huntington was nominated by President Tyler to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the District of Indiana vacated by JudgeJesse Lynch Holman. He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on May 2, 1842, and received his commission the same day. He served until his death in October 1862.[6]
On November 3, 1841, Huntington was married to Susan Mary (née Rudd) FitzHugh (1820–1853). Susan, a widow of Clark FitzHugh, was a daughter of Ann Benoist (née Palmer) Rudd (a relative of former Vice PresidentJohn C. Calhoun) and Dr. Christopher Rudd (a relative ofU.S. SenatorCharles Carroll of Carrollton). Together, they were the parents of:[1]
His wife died on December 3, 1853.[4] After a pulmonary disease forced him to seek warmer climates to seek relief, Huntington traveled toSaint Paul,Minnesota and thenHavana, Cuba before returning to St. Paul where he died on October 26, 1862.[6] Per his wishes, his nephew John H. Rea of Indianapolis took his remains and he was buried at Saint Joseph Cemetery (he converted toRoman Catholicism, his wife's religion, late in his life) inTerre Haute, Indiana.[7]
Through his eldest son Robert, he was a grandfather of tennis player and architectRobert Palmer Huntington, who married Helen Gray Dinsmore and was the father of socialite, arts patron, and political hostessHelen Huntington Hull,[1] the first wife ofVincent Astor of theAstor family.[8]
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Indiana 1842–1862 | Succeeded by |
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