Representative Erastus Root

Erastus Root (March 16, 1773 – December 24, 1846) was an early American lawyer, legislator, militia officer, and politician from New York, most notable for serving four separate non-consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives in the early nineteenth century. Over the course of a long public career, he held office under several party designations, including Democratic-Republican, Jacksonian, and Whig, and played a prominent role in both state and national politics during a formative period in American history.

Root was born on March 16, 1773, in Hebron in the Connecticut Colony, the son of William Root (1731–1790) and Zeruiah (née Baldwin) Root (1729–1792). He was raised in New England during the closing years of the colonial era and the American Revolution. Seeking higher education, he attended Dartmouth College, from which he graduated in 1793. After college he became a teacher, a common occupation for educated young men of the period, before turning to the study of law.

Having read law following his graduation, Root was admitted to the bar in 1796. He moved to Delhi, in Delaware County, New York, where he commenced the practice of law and quickly became involved in local affairs. His legal practice and growing reputation led to his election as a member of the New York State Assembly from Delaware County in 1798–99, 1800–01, and 1802. During these early legislative terms, he began to establish himself as an influential figure in state politics. Root also served in the New York State Militia, rising to the rank of major-general, a position that reflected both his standing in the community and the importance of militia service in the early republic.

Root’s national career began when he was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Eighth Congress, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1803, to March 3, 1805. After this first term in Congress, he returned to his law practice in Delhi. He was again elected to the House as a Democratic-Republican to the Eleventh Congress, serving from March 4, 1809, to March 3, 1811, during which time he was chairman of the Committee on Claims. Following this period in Congress, Root continued his state-level service as a member of the New York State Senate (Middle District) from 1812 to 1815, sitting in the 35th, 36th, 37th, and 38th New York State Legislatures. In 1815 he successfully contested the election of John Adams to the Fourteenth Congress, arguing that ballots cast for “Erastus Rott” should be counted for him. He took his seat on December 26, 1815, and served until March 3, 1817, during which term he was chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the War Department. Later, as a member of the Jackson Party representing New York, he contributed to the legislative process during his four terms in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history.

Root remained a central figure in New York politics between and after his congressional terms. He returned to the New York State Assembly from Delaware County in 1818, 1819, 1820, and 1820–21, and served as a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821, where he participated in the revision of the state’s fundamental law. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of New York and served from 1823 to 1824. Although he was defeated for re-election on the ticket with Samuel Young in 1824, his prominence within the Democratic-Republican Party was underscored when he received two votes at the party’s congressional caucus in March–April 1824 for the nomination for Vice President of the United States. He again served in the State Assembly from Delaware County in 1826, 1827, 1828, and 1830, and was chosen Speaker of the Assembly in 1827, 1828, and 1830, reflecting the confidence his colleagues placed in his leadership and parliamentary skills.

Root returned to national office when he was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-second Congress, serving from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1833. During this final term in the U.S. House of Representatives he was chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, a key assignment in a period when the nation’s economy was still predominantly agrarian. In 1838, by then aligned with the Whig Party, he ran again for a seat in the House of Representatives but was defeated. He continued to be active in state politics, serving once more in the New York State Senate (Third District) from 1840 to 1843, where he sat in the 63rd, 64th, 65th, and 66th New York State Legislatures. Across these many roles, he was repeatedly returned to office by the voters of Delaware County and surrounding areas, underscoring his long-standing influence in New York public life.

On October 4, 1806, Root married Elizabeth Stockton (1788–1871), the daughter of Charles W. Stockton and Elizabeth (née North) Stockton. The couple had five children, three daughters and two sons. Their eldest daughter, Juliana Root (1807–1898), married U.S. Representative Selah Reeve Hobbie (1797–1854) in 1826, further linking the family to national politics. Their son Charles Root (1809–1828) died aboard the USS Hudson in Rio de Janeiro in December 1828. Another daughter, Elizabeth Root (1813–1868), married Henry Lee Robinson (1812–1901), who later served as a brigadier general in the Union Army during the Civil War. Their son William Root (b. 1814) married Emily (née Wheelock) Dickinson (1816–1857), daughter of Colonel J. Wheelock, and their daughter Augusta Root (1815–1838) married William Fuller. Through these family connections, Root’s legacy extended into both military and political spheres beyond his own lifetime.

Erastus Root died in New York City on December 24, 1846. He was originally buried in the Old Cemetery in Delhi, New York, but his remains were later reinterred in Woodland Cemetery, also in Delhi. His memory is preserved in part by the Town of Root in Montgomery County, New York, which is named in his honor, reflecting the enduring recognition of his long and varied service to the state and nation.