Simeon Olcott | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromNew Hampshire | |
| In office June 17, 1801 – March 3, 1805 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel Livermore |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Gilman |
| Chief Judge of theNew Hampshire Supreme Court | |
| In office 1795–1801 | |
| Preceded by | John Pickering |
| Succeeded by | Jeremiah Smith |
| Judge of theNew Hampshire Supreme Court | |
| In office 1790–1795 | |
| Preceded by | Josiah Bartlett |
| Succeeded by | Ebenezer Thompson |
| Associate Justice of theVermont Supreme Court | |
| In office 1781–1782 | |
| Preceded by | Increase Moseley |
| Succeeded by | Peter Olcott |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1735-10-01)October 1, 1735 |
| Died | February 22, 1815(1815-02-22) (aged 79) |
| Resting place | Forest Hill Cemetery, Charlestown, New Hampshire |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Spouse | Tryphena Terry (m. 1783–1815, his death) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Yale College |
| Profession | Attorney |
Simeon Olcott (October 1, 1735 – February 22, 1815) was aNew Hampshire attorney and politician. His career began before theAmerican Revolution and continued afterwards, and among the positions in which he served were Chief Judge of theNew Hampshire Supreme Court (1795–1801) andUnited States Senator fromNew Hampshire (1801–1805).
A native ofBolton, Connecticut, Olcott graduated fromYale College in 1761, studied law, attained admission to the bar, and began to practice inCharlestown, New Hampshire. He quickly became active in politics and government, and served as a town selectman, town meeting moderator, and member of the colonial legislature. He served as Cheshire County Probate Judge during the American Revolution, and when several western New Hampshire towns attempted to join Vermont after the war, Olcott served as an associate justice of theVermont Supreme Court. The attempted union was soon dissolved, and Olcott served on New Hampshire's Court of Common Pleas (1784–1790), as a judge of the Superior Court (later renamed the state Supreme Court) (1790–1795), and chief judge of the Superior Court (1795–1801). In 1801, Olcott was selected to fill the U.S. Senate vacancy created afterSamuel Livermore resigned, and he served from 1801 to 1805.
Olcott died in Charlestown in 1815 and was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Charlestown.
Olcott was born inBolton,Connecticut Colony, and was a son of Timothy Olcott and also Eunice (White) Olcott.[1] He graduated fromYale College in 1761,studied law, wasadmitted to the bar and commenced practice inCharlestown, New Hampshire.[2]
Olcott served in several local offices, includingselectman (1769–1770, 1771) and member of theprovincial legislature (1771–1774).[3] In 1770 and 1772, Olcott was elected as Charlestown'stown meeting moderator.[3] In 1773, Olcott was appointedjudge of probate forCheshire County, and he served throughout theAmerican Revolution.[3] In 1781, several western New Hampshire towns voted to leave New Hampshire and join Vermont.[4] Several residents of these towns were appointed or elected to Vermont offices, including Olcott, who was chosen as anAssociate Justice of theVermont Supreme Court.[5] The union between New Hampshire's Connecticut River towns and Vermont was soon nullified,[5] and Olcott resigned as an associate justice in 1782.[5]
In 1784, Olcott was appointed chief justice of the New Hampshire Court of Common Pleas,[6] and he was an unsuccessful U.S. House candidate in a1789 special election.[7] He held his position as chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas until 1790, when he was appointed a judge of the New Hampshire Superior Court (later renamed theNew Hampshire Supreme Court.[6] He served until 1795, when he was appointedchief judge, and he held this position until 1801.[6] When the country's first political parties were created, Olcott became identified with theFederalists.[8]
Samuel Livermore resigned his seat in theUnited States Senate in 1801.[6] TheNew Hampshire General Court chose Olcott to fill the vacancy, and he served from June 17, 1801, to March 3, 1805.[6]
Olcott retired at the completion of his U.S. Senate term and continued to reside in Charlestown.[9] He died in Charlestown on February 22, 1815.[10] He was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Charlestown.[11]
In 1783, Olcott married Tryphena Terry ofEnfield, Connecticut.[12] They were the parents of three children, a son George who died in infancy, a second son named George (1785–1764), who was the longtime cashier of the Connecticut River Bank, and Henry, a career officer in theUnited States Marine Corps who died in 1821.[12]
| U.S. Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from New Hampshire 1801–1805 Served alongside:James Sheafe,William Plumer | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
