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Abraham Van Vorhes

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Major
Abraham Van Vorhes
Member of the Minnesota Territorial House of Representatives
from the 1st district
In office
January 2, 1856 – January 6, 1857
Member of the Ohio Senate from Athens County
In office
1842–1846
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from Athens County
In office
1840–18??
Personal details
Born(1793-12-02)December 2, 1793
Washington County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 24, 1879(1879-01-24) (aged 85)
Stillwater, Minnesota, U.S.
Resting placeFairview Cemetery
Political partyWhig, Republican
ChildrenNelson H. Van Vorhes
Andrew J. Van Vorhes
OccupationGunsmith, politician, postmaster, mechanic, newspaper editor/publisher, surveyor, justice
CommitteesRail Roads and Turnpikes (Ohio Senate)[1]
Military service
Branch/servicePennsylvania militia
RankMajor

Abraham Van Vorhes (December 2, 1793 – January 24, 1879; known commonly by his military rank as Major Van Vorhes) was an American politician, surveyor and pioneer.

Pennsylvania and Ohio

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Born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, Abraham Van Vorhes married Mary W. Vorhees in 1817.[2]

He served in the Pennsylvania militia and acquired the rank of major before moving to Alexander Township, Ohio in 1832 and then to Athens, Ohio in 1838, where he was a mechanic and editor of the Hocking Valley Gazette (later the Athens Messenger). While in Athens, Van Vorhes served as Athens County Treasurer and Surveyor.

From 1835 to 1839, he was postmaster for the Hebbardsville post office.[3]

A member of the Whig Party and later the Republican Party, he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1840 and was later elected to the Ohio Senate in October 1842, where he served four terms.[4][2]

Minnesota

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In 1849, President Zachary Taylor appointed Van Vorhes register of the United States Land Office, in Stillwater, Minnesota; he later arrived in October of that year.[5]

In 1853, Minnesota Territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey appointed Van Vorhes Minnesota Territorial Auditor. In 1856, Van Vorhes served in the Minnesota Territorial House of Representatives,[6] and from 1859, 1865, and 1866, he served as a justice for the city of Stillwater, Minnesota.[7]

He was appointed as postmaster for Stillwater in 1861 by President Abraham Lincoln.[5]

Van Vorhes died on January 24, 1879, in Stillwater at the age of 85.[6][5][8][2]

Personal life

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Van Vorhes had eight children with Mary,[2] two of whom were Nelson H. Van Vorhes, who served in the Ohio General Assembly and the United States House of Representatives, and Andrew J. Van Vorhes, who served in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

He was a member of the Presbyterian Church for most of his life, having joined in 1832 when he moved to Ohio.[5]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Mitchener & Matthews (22 December 1842). "Standing Committees of the Ohio Legislature". The Ohio Democrat. Vol. 3, no. 49. New Philadelphia, OH. ISSN 2372-8612. LCCN sn84028889.
  2. ^ a b c d "Death of Major Van Vorhes". Daily Globe (obituary). Vol. II, no. 11. Saint Paul, MN. 25 January 1879. p. 3. Retrieved 27 December 2020 – via the Library of Congress.
  3. ^ Walker 1869, p. 179.
  4. ^ Inter-State Publishing Co. 1883, p. 613.
  5. ^ a b c d Easton 1909, p. 336.
  6. ^ a b "Van Vorhes, Abraham". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Minnesota Legislature.
  7. ^ Easton 1909, p. 213–214.
  8. ^ Walker 1869, p. 303–305.

Bibliography

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