Mark Trafton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's11th district | |
| In office March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857 | |
| Preceded by | John Z. Goodrich |
| Succeeded by | Henry L. Dawes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1810-08-01)August 1, 1810[1] |
| Died | March 8, 1901(1901-03-08) (aged 90)[2] |
| Resting place | Peabody Cemetery,Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Political party | American Party |
| Spouse | Eliza Young[1] |
| Children |
|
| Occupation | Shoemaker[1][5] |
| Profession | Methodist Episcopal pastor |
Mark Trafton (August 1, 1810 – March 8, 1901) was aMethodist Episcopal minister who, as a member of theAmerican Party served one term as aU.S. Representative fromMassachusetts.
Trafton's mother Margaret Dennett,[1] was the daughter of Jacob Dennett, one ofBangor, Maine's original settlers.[6]
Trafton was born inBangor (then in Massachusetts'District of Maine) to Theodore[1][5] and Margaret (Dennett) Trafton.[1] When he was fifteen years old he was apprenticed to a Mr. Weed, a shoemaker[1][5] ofBangor, Maine.[5]
Trafton studied at Kent's Hill Seminary, and was ordained pastor of theMethodist Episcopal church inWestfield, Massachusetts. In the early 1850s he traveled in Europe and published his letters home asRambles in Europe: In a Series of Familiar Letters (Boston, 1852). The volume is dedicated to George W. Pickering, a cousin and prominent merchant inBangor, Maine, who may have financed the trip.[7] Trafton never lost touch with his home town of Bangor, returning to speak at its centennial celebration in 1869.[8]
In 1836[1] Trafton married Eliza Young of EastPittston, Maine.[1] The Traftons had six children including sons John and James Trafton,[1] and daughter, writerAdeline Trafton.[1][4] Eliza Trafton died in 1882.[1]
Trafton was elected as the candidate of the American Party (aka theKnow-Nothing Party) to theThirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857). All eleven U.S. Representatives in the Massachusetts delegation were members of the American Party, including Speaker of the HouseNathaniel P. Banks. According to hisNew York Times obituary, Trafton "had been an active leader in the anti-slavery reform, and while a member of Congress he secured the cordial hate of his opponents by his bold assaults upon the slave power".[2] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1856 to theThirty-fifth Congress, and resumed his ministerial duties as pastor of a church inMount Wollaston, Massachusetts.
Trafton served as the pastor of the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church inCharlestown.Trafton served as pastor for the North Russell St. M. E. church in Boston in 1850 and 1851. The ladies of the church presented he and his wife with a red and white signature quilt upon his leaving his tenure there. The quilt now resides at the International Quilt Museum, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Trafton died inWest Somerville, Massachusetts, March 8, 1901.He was interred inPeabody Cemetery, inSpringfield.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 11th congressional district March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
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| National | |
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