Ogden Hoffman
Ogden Hoffman (October 13, 1794 – May 1, 1856) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms in the United States House of Representatives.
Ogden Hoffman | |
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25th Attorney General of New York | |
In office January 1, 1854 – December 31, 1855 | |
Governor | Horatio Seymour Myron H. Clark |
Preceded by | Gardner Stow |
Succeeded by | Stephen B. Cushing |
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York | |
In office 1841–1845 | |
President | William Henry Harrison John Tyler |
Preceded by | Benjamin F. Butler |
Succeeded by | Benjamin F. Butler |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 3rd district | |
In office 1837 – 1841 with Churchill C. Cambreleng 1837–39, Ely Moore 1837–39, Edward Curtis 1837–41, James Monroe 1839–41 and Moses H. Grinnell 1839–41 | |
Preceded by | Churchill C. Cambreleng, Gideon Lee, Ely Moore, John McKeon |
Succeeded by | Charles G. Ferris, Fernando Wood, James I. Roosevelt, John McKeon |
New York County District Attorney | |
In office 1829–1835 | |
Preceded by | Hugh Maxwell |
Succeeded by | Thomas Phoenix |
Personal details | |
Born | Manhattan, New York | October 13, 1794
Died | May 1, 1856 61) New York City | (aged
Political party | Democratic Party Whig |
Spouse(s) | Emily Burrall Virginia Southard |
Children | 5, including Ogden Jr. |
Parents | Josiah Ogden Hoffman Mary Colden |
Education | Columbia College |
Life
Ogden Hoffman was born on October 13, 1794, the son of New York Attorney General Josiah Ogden Hoffman (1766–1837) and Mary (Colden) Hoffman. He pursued classical studies and graduated from Columbia College in 1812.[1]
Career
He served for three years in the Navy and was warranted a midshipman in 1814. He took part in the War of 1812 and the Second Barbary War as a crew member on the USS President, and was taken prisoner when the President was captured in 1814.
After leaving the Navy he studied law under his father, was admitted to the bar in 1818, and commenced practice in Goshen, New York.
Political career
Hoffman was District Attorney of Orange County from May 1823 to January 1826, and a member of the New York State Assembly (Orange Co.) in 1826. He then returned to New York City and there practiced law in partnership with Hugh Maxwell, who was New York County District Attorney.
Hoffman was again a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co.) in 1828; and was New York County District Attorney from 1829 to 1835.
He disagreed with the Jackson administration over the need for a federally chartered central bank, and abandoned Tammany Hall and the Democratic Party for the Whigs after Jackson's decision not to re-charter the Second Bank of the United States.
In 1836, Hoffman defended Richard P. Robinson at his trial for the murder of Helen Jewett and got his client acquitted.
Hoffman was elected as a Whig to the 25th and 26th United States Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1841. He was United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1841 to 1845; and was New York Attorney General from 1854 to 1855, elected on the Whig ticket at the New York state election, 1853.
Personal life
On June 27, 1819, he married Emily Burrall, daughter of Charles Burrall. Together, they had two children:[2]
- Charles Burrall Hoffman (1821–1892), who married Harriet Bronson Willett, granddaughter of Dr. Isaac Bronson.[2]
- Ogden Hoffman, Jr. (1822–1891), who served as a federal judge in California for more than 40 years.
In November 1838, he married Virginia Southard (d. 1886), daughter of Samuel Lewis Southard, who was a U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, and the tenth Governor of New Jersey.[3] Together, they had three children:[2]
- Samuel Southard Hoffman (b. 1839), who married Sarah Acklen[2]
- Mary Colden Hoffman (b. 1840)[2]
- Virginia Southard Hoffman (b. 1842)[2]
He died on May 1, 1856, at his home on Ninth Street in New York City, of "congestion of the lungs." He was buried at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery.
References
Notes
- "HOFFMAN, Josiah Ogden - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- Hoffman, Eugene Augustus (1899). Genealogy of the Hoffman family : descendants of Martin Hoffman, with biographical notes . New York : Dodd, Mead & Co. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- Rathbun, Richard. The Columbian institute for the promotion of arts and sciences: A Washington Society of 1816-1838. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, October 18, 1917. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
Sources
- United States Congress. "Ogden Hoffman (id: H000687)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- The New-York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 35, 253, 257, 353 and 431; 1863)
- Death of the Hon. Ogden Hoffman in the New York Times on May 2, 1856
- Genealogy of the Hoffman Family by (Dodd, Mead & Co., NYC; pg. 279ff)
Legal offices | ||
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Preceded by Hugh Maxwell |
New York County District Attorney 1829–1835 |
Succeeded by Thomas Phoenix |
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
Preceded by Churchill C. Cambreleng, Gideon Lee, Ely Moore, John McKeon |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 3rd congressional district 1837–1841 with Churchill C. Cambreleng 1837–39, Ely Moore 1837–39, Edward Curtis 1837–41, James Monroe 1839–41 and Moses H. Grinnell 1839–41 |
Succeeded by Charles G. Ferris, Fernando Wood, James I. Roosevelt, John McKeon |
Legal offices | ||
Preceded by Benjamin F. Butler |
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York 1841–1845 |
Succeeded by Benjamin F. Butler |
Preceded by Gardner Stow |
New York Attorney General 1854–1855 |
Succeeded by Stephen B. Cushing |