Ogden Hoffman (October 13, 1794 – May 1, 1856) was a 19th-century American lawyer and politician who for two terms was in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1837 to 1841.
Ogden Hoffman was born on October 13, 1794,[1] the son of New York Attorney GeneralJosiah Ogden Hoffman (1766–1837) and Mary (Colden) Hoffman. He pursued classical studies and graduated fromColumbia College in 1812.[2]
He served for three years in theNavy and waswarranted amidshipman in 1814. He took part in theWar of 1812 and theSecond Barbary War as a crew member on theUSSPresident, and was taken prisoner when thePresident was captured in 1814.
After leaving the navy he studied law under his father, was admitted to the bar in 1818, and commenced practice inGoshen, New York.
Hoffman wasDistrict Attorney ofOrange County from May 1823 to January 1826, and a member of theNew York State Assembly (Orange Co.) in1826. He then returned to New York City and there practiced law in partnership withHugh Maxwell, who wasNew York County District Attorney.
Hoffman was again a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co.) in1828; and was New York County District Attorney from 1829 to 1835.
He disagreed with theJackson administration over the need for a federally chartered central bank, and abandonedTammany Hall and theDemocratic Party for theWhigs after Jackson's decision not to re-charter theSecond Bank of the United States.
In 1836, Hoffman defended Richard P. Robinson at his trial for the murder ofHelen Jewett and got his client acquitted.
Hoffman was elected as a Whig to the25th and26th United States Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1841.
He wasUnited States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1841 to 1845. He later wasNew York Attorney General from 1854 to 1855, elected on the Whig ticket at theNew York state election, 1853.
On June 27, 1819, he married Emily Burrall, daughter of Charles Burrall. Together, they had two children:[3]
In November 1838, he married Virginia Southard (d. 1886), daughter ofSamuel Lewis Southard, who was aU.S. Senator,Secretary of the Navy, and thetenthGovernor of New Jersey.[4] Together, they had three children:[3]
He died on May 1, 1856, at his home on Ninth Street in New York City, of "congestion of the lungs." He was buried atSt. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery.
Notes
Sources
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New York County District Attorney 1829–1835 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 3rd congressional district 1837–1841 withChurchill C. Cambreleng 1837–39,Ely Moore 1837–39,Edward Curtis 1837–41,James Monroe 1839–41 andMoses H. Grinnell 1839–41 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York 1841–1845 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York Attorney General 1854–1855 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
