Elijah Hunt Mills
United States Senator fromMassachusetts
In office June 12, 1820 – March 3, 1827
Preceded by	Prentiss Mellen
Succeeded by	Daniel Webster
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's5th district
In office March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1819
Preceded by	William Ely
Succeeded by	Samuel Lathrop
Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives
In office 1811-1814
Personal details
Born	Elijah Hunt Mills (1776-12-01)December 1, 1776 Chesterfield, Massachusetts, US
Died	May 5, 1829(1829-05-05) (aged 52) Northampton, Massachusetts, US
Political party	Federalist
Spouse	Harriet Blake
Alma mater	Williams College
Profession	Lawyer

Elijah Hunt Mills (December 1, 1776 – May 5, 1829) was anAmerican politician fromMassachusetts.

Mills was born inChesterfield, Massachusetts. He was educated by private tutors and graduated fromWilliams College in 1797. Mills studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice inNorthampton, Massachusetts.

He was thedistrict attorney forHampshire County, Massachusetts, and openedNorthampton Law School in 1823. Mills was also a founding member of theAmerican Antiquarian Society in 1812.^[1]

He was a member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives (1811–1814). Mills was elected as aFederalist to theUnited States House of Representatives (March 4, 1815 - March 3, 1819). In 1819 he returned to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he becameSpeaker of the House in 1820. He was elected to theUnited States Senate in 1820 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation ofPrentiss Mellen. Mills was reelected and served from June 12, 1820, to March 3, 1827. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in1826. He retired from public life due to ill health.

Mills was first married to Sarah Hunt (1780–1802), a daughter of Dr. Ebenezer Hunt and Sarah (née Bradish) Hunt, on May 16, 1802. Sarah died a few months later on October 2, 1802. Mills later married Harriet Blake (1780–1871), a daughter of merchant Joseph Blake and Deborah (née Smith) Blake. With his second wife, Mills was the father of seven children, including:^[2]

• Helen Sophia Mills (1806–1844), who married Hon.Charles Phelps Huntington.^[2]
• Sarah Hunt Mills (1808–1887), who married Prof.Benjamin Peirce, the father ofCharles Sanders Peirce.^[3]
• Elijah Hunt Mills Jr. (1810–1830), who died unmarried inCharleston, South Carolina.^[2]
• Charles Henry Mills (1813–1872), a merchant who married Anna Cabot LowellDwight (1818–1880), a daughters of Edmund Dwight.^[2]
• William Kilby Mills (1815–1855), an invalid for the last 20 years of his life; he died unmarried.^[2]
• Harriette Blake Mills (1818–1892), who married AdmiralCharles Henry Davis.^[2]
• George Francis Mills (1821–1829), who died young.^[2]

Mills died on May 5, 1829, in Northampton, and was interred in the Bridge Street Cemetery. His widow died at Cambridge on February 9, 1871.^[2]

Through his daughter Harriette, he was a grandfather of Anna Cabot Mills Davis, who married U.S. SenatorHenry Cabot Lodge. One of their sons, poetGeorge Cabot Lodge, was the father of U.S. SenatorsHenry Cabot Lodge Jr. andJohn Davis Lodge.

• United States Congress."Elijah H. Mills (id: M000774)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Elijah Hunt Mills atFind a Grave

• 1776 births
• 1829 deaths
• People from Chesterfield, Massachusetts
• American people of English descent
• Massachusetts National Republicans
• Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts
• Federalist Party United States senators from Massachusetts
• National Republican Party United States senators from Massachusetts
• Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
• Speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
• County district attorneys in Massachusetts
• Williams College alumni
• 19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court
• 19th-century United States representatives
• 19th-century United States senators

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata