Samuel Breck | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Hemphill John Sergeant Thomas Forrest Samuel Edwards |
| Succeeded by | Daniel H. Miller |
| Member of thePennsylvania Senate for the2nd district | |
| In office 1832–1834 | |
| Member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives | |
| In office 1817–1820 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1771-07-17)July 17, 1771 Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America |
| Died | August 31, 1862(1862-08-31) (aged 91) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
| Political party | Federalist |
Samuel Breck (July 17, 1771 – August 31, 1862) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a member of theU.S. House of Representatives forPennsylvania's 1st congressional district from 1823 to 1825.
Samuel Breck (brother ofDaniel Breck) was born inBoston,Province of Massachusetts Bay. His parents were Samuel Breck and Hannah Andrews. His father was a wealthy merchant in Boston, and the family mansion adjacent toBoston Common was often visited by foreign travelers.[1]
He began his education atBoston Latin School. In 1783, Breck attended theRoyal Military School of Loreze, France. He completed his studies in France in 1787. Although he was somewhat drawn to Catholicism in France, he remained an Episcopalian his whole life.
In 1790 his father gave him $10,000 to set up as a merchant on Boston'sLong Wharf.[2] He moved toPennsylvania, and settled inPhiladelphia in 1792, where he engaged in business as a merchant. He served as a corporal during theWhiskey Rebellion. On December 24, 1795, he married Jean Ross, the daughter of a leading Philadelphia merchant. Besides his role in business, he was also an essayist and orator. He founded a group called the Sons of New England.
Breck was a member of thePennsylvania State Senate from 1817 to 1821. In February 1821, he was the lead sponsor of a law that would have immediately emancipated all enslaved persons living in Pennsylvania. When this failed, he sponsored another bill which would have amended the state's existing gradual abolition law. This bill failed as well.[3] He returned to the state assembly as the senator for Pennsylvania'sDistrict 2 from 1832 to 1834.[4] He was elected as a member to theAmerican Philosophical Society in 1838.[5]
Breck was elected as an Adams-Clay Federalist to theEighteenth Congress. He withdrew from active business pursuits and lived in retirement. In 1861 he spoke publicly at a meeting in Philadelphia urging the people to preserve the constitution he had been alive to help form.[6]
Breck died in Philadelphia in 1862.
Wainwright, Nicholas B.The Diary of Samuel Breck, 1814–1835, 1838. Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 102 (October 1978): 469–508; 103 (1979): 85–113, 222–51, 356–82.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 1st congressional district 1823–1825 | Succeeded by |
| Pennsylvania State Senate | ||
| Preceded by Peter Hay | Member of thePennsylvania Senate,2nd district 1832-1834 | Succeeded by Joseph Taylor |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
