Representative Harvey Putnam

Harvey Putnam (January 5, 1793 – September 20, 1855) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives and in the New York State Senate. He was born in Brattleboro, Windham County, Vermont, the youngest of nine children of Asa Putnam and Anna (Collins) Putnam. His father died while he was an infant, and he subsequently moved with his mother to live with relatives, first in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and later in Cobleskill, New York. These early relocations shaped his upbringing in rural New England and upstate New York at the turn of the nineteenth century.

Putnam attended the common schools and pursued legal studies in Skaneateles, New York. To support himself while studying law, he worked as a teacher, a common path for aspiring professionals of his generation. In 1816 he was admitted to the bar, marking the formal beginning of his legal career. The following year, in 1817, he moved to Attica, New York, where he commenced the practice of law and established himself as a member of the local bar.

On August 5, 1817, Putnam married Myra Osborne of Skaneateles, New York. The couple made their home in Attica, where Putnam’s legal practice and growing involvement in public affairs anchored the family. Among their children was James O. Putnam, who later became a New York State Senator and served as United States Minister to Belgium, extending the family’s influence into both state politics and international diplomacy.

Putnam became active in local politics and civic affairs in Attica, holding several local offices as he built his reputation as a lawyer and community leader. His political alignment with the emerging Whig Party reflected his support for legislative solutions to economic development and governance issues of the period. His first service in the U.S. House of Representatives came when he was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative William Patterson. Putnam took his seat on November 7, 1838, and served until March 3, 1839, participating in the legislative process during a significant period in American history and representing the interests of his New York constituents.

After his initial term in Congress, Putnam continued to hold important judicial and administrative positions at the county level. In 1840 he was appointed Surrogate of Genesee County, New York, an office in which he oversaw probate matters and the administration of estates. He held this position until the division of Genesee County, after which he was appointed Surrogate of the newly formed Wyoming County. He remained in that office until 1843, further solidifying his standing as a respected legal authority in western New York.

Putnam advanced to state-level office as a member of the New York State Senate from the Eighth District, serving from 1843 to 1846. During this period he sat in the 66th, 67th, 68th, and 69th New York State Legislatures. His work in the Senate coincided with debates over internal improvements, banking, and state constitutional issues, and it positioned him as a prominent Whig voice in state government. His legislative experience in Albany complemented his earlier and later service in the national legislature.

Returning to federal office, Putnam was elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth and Thirty-first United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1851. Over the course of these terms, he contributed to the legislative process during a period marked by the Mexican–American War, territorial expansion, and intensifying national debates over slavery and sectional balance. In total, Harvey Putnam served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and as a member of the Whig Party representing New York he participated actively in the democratic process and in representing the interests of his constituents at a time of rapid change in the United States.

After leaving Congress in 1851, Putnam returned to Attica and resumed the practice of law, remaining engaged in his profession and community until the end of his life. He died on September 20, 1855, in Attica, New York. Harvey Putnam was interred in Forest Hill Cemetery in Attica, where his burial marked the close of a career that spanned local, state, and national public service.