Representative Elisha Litchfield

Elisha Litchfield (July 12, 1785, Canterbury, Connecticut – August 4, 1859, Cazenovia, New York) was an American merchant and politician from New York who served two terms in the United States Congress during a significant period in the nation’s early history. Born in Canterbury, he attended the common schools of his native Connecticut and learned the carpenter’s trade as a young man, acquiring practical skills that would support his early livelihood and later business activities.

In November 1808, Litchfield married Percy Tiffany, who died in 1827; they had five children, among them Edwin Clark Litchfield (1815–1885), who would later become prominent in his own right and run for Congress as a Democrat in 1858 in New York’s 2nd District, though he was defeated by Republican James Humphrey. In 1812, Elisha Litchfield moved to Delphi, in what is now Delphi Falls, New York. That same year he served in the War of 1812, in which he was promoted to the rank of major, reflecting both his participation in the conflict and the leadership responsibilities he assumed during the war.

After the War of 1812, Litchfield settled more permanently in Delphi and began to build a public career alongside his private pursuits. Originally trained as a carpenter, he abandoned that trade and became a merchant, engaging in commercial activity that anchored him in the local community. He was appointed postmaster of Delphi on November 28, 1817, and held that position until June 25, 1821, overseeing the local mail service at a time when the post office was a central institution in American civic and economic life. In addition to his federal appointment, he served as a justice of the peace and as a supervisor of Onondaga County, roles that placed him at the center of local governance and administration.

Litchfield’s political career at the state level began with his election to the New York State Assembly in 1819. His legislative service in Albany marked the start of a long association with state politics. As a member of the Assembly, he participated in shaping state law and policy during a period of expansion and political realignment in New York. His early experience in local offices and his mercantile background informed his work as a legislator, grounding his public service in the concerns of his constituents.

Litchfield advanced to national office when he was elected to the United States House of Representatives. He was chosen as a Democratic-Republican to the Seventeenth Congress and as a Crawford Democratic-Republican to the Eighteenth Congress, reflecting the factional divisions within the Democratic-Republican Party in the era leading up to the 1824 presidential election. He served in Congress from December 3, 1821, to March 3, 1825, representing New York and participating in the legislative process during a formative period in American political history. As a member of the Unknown Party representing New York, as later records have styled his affiliation, Litchfield contributed to the work of the House over two terms, engaging in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents in debates and votes on national policy.

Following his service in Congress, Litchfield remained active in New York politics. In 1828, he married Lucy Bacon, the widow of Dr. Enos Bacon, and together they had four children, further extending his family ties in the state. He returned to the New York State Assembly and served additional terms in 1831, 1832, 1833, and 1844. His repeated elections to the Assembly underscored his continued prominence and influence in state affairs. In 1844, he was chosen Speaker of the New York State Assembly, the presiding officer of the chamber, a position that testified to the confidence his colleagues placed in his leadership and legislative experience.

In his later years, Litchfield moved to Cazenovia, New York. Although he had shifted his residence, his earlier connections to Delphi and Onondaga County remained significant in his public identity and family history. He died in Cazenovia on August 4, 1859. Elisha Litchfield was buried at the City Cemetery in Delphi Falls, New York, returning in death to the community where he had first established himself as a merchant, local official, and rising political figure.