Representative Ira Allen Eastman

Ira Allen Eastman (January 1, 1809 – March 21, 1881) was an American manufacturer, lawyer, jurist, and Democratic politician in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in the 1800s, contributing to the legislative process during two terms in Congress and representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history.

Eastman was born in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, the son of Stephen and Hannah Eastman. He attended local schools and Gilmanton Academy, receiving the classical education typical of New England preparatory institutions of the era. He then enrolled at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and graduated in 1829. After college he read law, following the customary apprenticeship route to the legal profession, and was admitted to the bar in 1832. He began the practice of law in Troy, New Hampshire, marking the start of a professional career that would combine legal work, public service, and later manufacturing interests.

In 1834 Eastman returned to Gilmanton and continued his legal practice while quickly entering public life. He served as clerk of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1835, a position that acquainted him with legislative procedure and state politics. He was elected a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1836 to 1838 and rose rapidly in influence, serving as speaker of the House in 1837 and 1838. During this same period he held the office of Register of Probate for Strafford County from 1836 to 1839, administering probate matters and further consolidating his standing in the legal and political community.

Eastman was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses, serving in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1839, to March 3, 1843, as a representative of New Hampshire. His service in Congress occurred during a formative era in American politics marked by debates over economic policy, territorial expansion, and the evolving party system. During the Twenty-seventh Congress he served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business, a committee responsible for overseeing the disposition of pending legislative matters and the revision of existing statutes. After completing his two terms, he was not a candidate for renomination in 1842 and returned to New Hampshire to continue his public service in other capacities.

Following his congressional service, Eastman embarked on a distinguished judicial career. He served as a judge of the New Hampshire Court of Common Pleas from 1844 to 1849, presiding over a broad range of civil and criminal cases at the trial level. In 1849 he was appointed associate justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, a position he held until 1855. He then served as a justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court from 1855 to 1859, participating in the development of the state’s jurisprudence during a period of social and economic change. His judicial work earned him recognition in legal and academic circles; in 1858 Dartmouth College conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D.), and in 1859 he was chosen a trustee of Dartmouth, reflecting his continued association with and service to his alma mater.

After resigning from judicial service in 1859, Eastman resumed the practice of law, establishing himself in Concord and later in Manchester, New Hampshire. Alongside his legal practice, he remained active in Democratic Party politics. He was the Democratic candidate for Governor of New Hampshire in 1863, during the Civil War, but was unsuccessful in that bid. He later sought federal office again as the Democratic candidate for United States Senator in 1866, but was likewise unsuccessful. In addition to his legal and political pursuits, he engaged in manufacturing, reflecting the broader industrial development of New Hampshire in the mid-nineteenth century.

Eastman’s public life was also shaped by family and personal connections. He married Jane Quackenbush, and the couple had two children, Clarence and Anna Q. Eastman. He was the nephew of Nehemiah Eastman, who also served as a United States Representative from New Hampshire, indicating a family tradition of public service. Ira Allen Eastman died on March 21, 1881, in Manchester, New Hampshire. He was interred in Valley Cemetery in Manchester, leaving a legacy as a legislator, jurist, and party leader who played a notable role in New Hampshire’s political and legal history in the nineteenth century.