Representative Calvin Tilden Hulburd

Calvin Tilden Hulburd (June 5, 1809 – October 25, 1897) was a United States Representative from New York during the American Civil War and Reconstruction, serving three consecutive terms in Congress from 1863 to 1869. A member of the Republican Party, he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents in the House of Representatives.

Hulburd was born on June 5, 1809, in Stockholm, St. Lawrence County, New York. He completed preparatory studies and then attended Middlebury College in Vermont, from which he graduated. After college he pursued legal training, studying law under the prominent New York attorney Abraham Van Vechten. He furthered his legal education at Yale Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1833. Following his admission, he commenced the practice of law in Brasher Falls, an unincorporated village in the town of Brasher, New York.

Although trained as a lawyer, Hulburd did not confine himself to legal practice. He devoted much of his energy to agriculture and business, reflecting the mixed professional pursuits common among rural professionals of his era. In partnership with his brother, he owned and operated a large farm, a gristmill, and a dry goods store in Brasher Falls. He also served as the local postmaster, a position that placed him at the center of community affairs and communication in the growing settlement.

Hulburd’s political career began in the Democratic Party, where he aligned with the antislavery Barnburner faction and later became associated with the Free Soil movement, reflecting his opposition to the expansion of slavery. He was elected to the New York State Assembly and served three consecutive terms in 1842, 1843, and 1844. When the Republican Party emerged in the mid-1850s as a principal vehicle for antislavery and reform-minded politicians, Hulburd joined its ranks. He continued his involvement in local government, serving as town supervisor of Brasher from 1860 to 1861, a role that also made him a member of the St. Lawrence County Board of Supervisors. He returned to state-level office as a member of the New York State Assembly again in 1862.

Hulburd was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-eighth, Thirty-ninth, and Fortieth Congresses, holding office in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1869. His service coincided with the Civil War and the early years of Reconstruction, a formative period in federal policymaking. During his tenure, he served as chairman of the Committee on Public Expenditures, the predecessor of the modern Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where he played a role in supervising and scrutinizing the use of public funds at a time of large wartime and postwar federal expenditures. Throughout his three terms, he participated in debates and votes that shaped the Union war effort and the initial reconstruction of the Southern states.

After leaving Congress in 1869, Hulburd continued in public service and administrative work. From 1869 to 1880, he served as superintendent of construction for the New York City Post Office and Courthouse, overseeing the building of a major federal facility in one of the nation’s principal urban centers. He also remained active in local affairs in St. Lawrence County, serving again as town supervisor of Brasher from 1870 to 1873. In recognition of his public service and standing, Hamilton College awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree in 1867.

Calvin Tilden Hulburd spent his later years in Brasher Falls. He died there on October 25, 1897, closing a long life that spanned from the early republic through the post–Civil War era. He was interred in Fairview Cemetery in Brasher Falls. Contemporary records and media accounts sometimes rendered his surname as “Hurlburd,” a variation that appears in some historical references to his career.