Representative Arunah Metcalf

Arunah Metcalf (February 14, 1771 – August 15, 1848) was a United States Representative from New York and a prominent local official and agricultural leader in Otsego County during the early nineteenth century. Born in Lebanon, Connecticut, on February 14, 1771, he attended the common schools there. In the late eighteenth century he left Connecticut for New York, settling in Otsego County as part of the “Metcalf Settlement” in Pierstown, a community that included many members of his extended family, among them his father and stepmother.

After his arrival in Otsego County, Metcalf established himself as a farmer and landowner. He owned a farm in the area that later became known as Metcalf Hill, a name that endures in Otsego County geography. In addition to operating his farm, he engaged in various business ventures and became a successful land speculator, contributing to the development and settlement of the region. His growing local prominence led naturally to roles in public service and the militia.

Metcalf’s early public career included service in the New York state militia, in which he held the rank of ensign in an Otsego County company. He also became active in local government, first serving as a deputy sheriff. From 1806 to 1810 he was Sheriff of Otsego County, New York, a position that placed him at the center of county law enforcement and administration during a period of expansion and change in upstate New York.

As a member of the Republican Party of his era, commonly known as the Democratic-Republican Party, Metcalf entered national politics in the early 1810s. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Twelfth Congress, representing New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. His single term in Congress extended from March 4, 1811, to March 3, 1813. Metcalf’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, encompassing the lead-up to and early stages of the War of 1812. During this time he participated in the legislative process, took part in the democratic governance of the young republic, and represented the interests of his Otsego County and New York constituents at the federal level.

After completing his term in Congress, Metcalf returned to New York and relocated to Cooperstown, the county seat of Otsego County. He resumed public life at the state level and served in the New York State Assembly from 1814 to 1816. His legislative work in Albany extended his influence beyond his home county and reflected his continued engagement with issues affecting agriculture, landholding, and local governance in upstate New York.

Metcalf remained active in civic and agricultural affairs following his initial period in the Assembly. He was a founder of the Otsego County Agricultural Society, an organization intended to promote improved farming practices and the interests of local farmers, and he served as its president in 1818. In 1819 he sought higher state office as a candidate for the New York State Senate, though he was unsuccessful in that campaign. He returned again to the New York State Assembly in 1828, underscoring his long-standing role as a representative figure in regional politics and public life.

In his later years, Metcalf continued to reside in Cooperstown, where he remained a respected figure in the community he had helped to develop. He died in Cooperstown on August 15, 1848. Arunah Metcalf was buried at Lakewood Cemetery in Cooperstown. His legacy in Otsego County is reflected not only in his record of public service at the county, state, and national levels, but also in the local landscape itself, including Metcalf Hill, the mountain named in his honor.