Representative Asher Tyler

Asher Tyler (May 10, 1798 – August 1, 1875) was a United States Representative from New York and a 19th-century lawyer, land agent, and businessman. He was born in Bridgewater, Oneida County, New York, on May 10, 1798, into the rural upstate region that was then being rapidly settled and developed. His early life unfolded against the backdrop of this frontier expansion in central New York, an environment that would later shape his professional involvement in land management and internal improvements.

Tyler pursued higher education at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, one of the leading liberal arts institutions in the state. He was graduated from Hamilton College in 1817, a relatively early date for college education in that era, indicating a solid classical and legal foundation. Following his graduation, he studied law, preparing for admission to the bar at a time when formal legal education was typically acquired through apprenticeship and independent study rather than through law schools.

After completing his legal studies, Tyler was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Ellicottville, Cattaraugus County, New York, in 1836. Ellicottville, then a developing community in western New York, provided opportunities for a young attorney to engage in both legal work and land-related business. Tyler became an agent of the Devereaux Land Company, with headquarters at Ellicottville, managing and overseeing land interests in a region where large tracts were being surveyed, sold, and settled. He subsequently served in a similar capacity for the Erie Company, continuing his work in land administration and development. In addition to his professional responsibilities, he held several local offices, reflecting his growing prominence and involvement in civic affairs within his community.

Tyler’s public service extended to the national level when he was elected as a member of the Whig Party to the Twenty-eighth Congress. Representing New York, he served as a United States Representative from March 4, 1843, to March 3, 1845. His single term in Congress coincided with a significant period in American history marked by debates over territorial expansion, economic policy, and internal improvements. As a Whig, he participated in the legislative process and the democratic governance of the nation, representing the interests of his constituents from New York and contributing to the deliberations of the House of Representatives during this era.

After the conclusion of his congressional service, Tyler did not seek or hold further federal office. In 1846 he moved to Elmira, in Chemung County, New York, a growing transportation and commercial hub in the Southern Tier. There he engaged in railroad operations, aligning his post-congressional career with the expanding railroad industry that was transforming the economy and infrastructure of New York and the broader United States. His work in this field reflected a continued commitment to internal improvements and regional development, consistent with Whig economic ideals.

In Elmira, Tyler also became involved in industrial enterprise. He was one of the incorporators of the Elmira Rolling Mill Company, an indication of his participation in the emerging iron and manufacturing sector that supported railroad construction and other industrial needs. This role underscored his transition from law and land agency into broader business and infrastructural ventures, contributing to the economic growth of Elmira and the surrounding region.

Asher Tyler remained in Elmira for the remainder of his life. He died there on August 1, 1875. His interment took place in Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira, a burial ground that would later become notable as the resting place of several prominent figures. His life spanned the early national period through the post–Civil War era, and his career reflected the legal, political, and economic developments of 19th-century New York, from land settlement and local officeholding to congressional service and participation in the rise of railroads and industry.