Representative Harry Hibbard

Harry Hibbard (June 1, 1816 – July 28, 1872) was an American politician and a United States Representative from New Hampshire. A member of the Democratic Party, he served three consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives during a significant period in American history, participating in the national legislative process and representing the interests of his New Hampshire constituents.

Hibbard was born in Concord, Vermont, on June 1, 1816, the son of David and Susannah Streeter Hibbard. He pursued classical studies in his youth and prepared for higher education in New England’s traditional academic curriculum. He entered Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where he studied law as part of his broader course of study, and graduated in 1835. Following his graduation, he continued his legal training and was admitted to the bar in 1838. He then commenced the practice of law in Bath, Grafton County, New Hampshire, which became his long-term professional and political base.

Hibbard’s public career began in the administrative offices of the New Hampshire legislature. From 1840 to 1842 he served first as assistant clerk and then as clerk of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, gaining detailed familiarity with legislative procedure and state politics. He was subsequently elected as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, serving from 1843 to 1845. During this period he rose quickly in influence, being chosen Speaker of the House in 1844 and again in 1845, an indication of his standing among Democratic colleagues and his skill in managing legislative business.

After his service in the lower house, Hibbard moved to the New Hampshire Senate, where he served in 1845, 1847, and 1848. He was elected president of the Senate in 1847 and 1848, presiding over the upper chamber during a time of active state political development. His growing prominence within the Democratic Party extended beyond New Hampshire; he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1848, participating in the national party deliberations that preceded the presidential election that year. He would later again be chosen as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1856, reflecting his continued influence in party affairs even after his congressional service.

Elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-first, Thirty-second, and Thirty-third Congresses, Hibbard served as a United States Representative from New Hampshire from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1855. His three terms in the House of Representatives coincided with a period of mounting sectional tension in the United States, as debates over slavery, territorial expansion, and the balance of power between free and slave states intensified. As a member of the Democratic Party representing New Hampshire, Hibbard contributed to the legislative process during these three terms in office, participating in the democratic process and advocating for the interests of his constituents within the broader national controversies of the era. He chose not to be a candidate for renomination in 1854.

Following his departure from Congress in 1855, Hibbard returned to New Hampshire and resumed the practice of law. His legal reputation and long experience in state and national government led to his being offered an appointment to the New Hampshire Supreme Court, a distinction he declined. Although he no longer held elective office, he remained a figure of note within Democratic circles, as evidenced by his role as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1856.

In his personal life, Hibbard married Sara King Hale Bellows on May 13, 1848. The couple had one daughter, Alice. His family life was centered in Bath, New Hampshire, where he had established his legal practice and political career and where he maintained close ties throughout his life.

Harry Hibbard died in a sanatorium in Somerville, Massachusetts, on July 28, 1872. He was interred in the Village Cemetery in Bath, New Hampshire, returning in death to the community that had been the focal point of his professional and political life.