Representative Lorenzo Burrows

Lorenzo Burrows (March 15, 1805 – March 6, 1885) was an American merchant, banker, and politician who served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from New York. He was born on March 15, 1805, and was connected to a politically active family: his uncle, Daniel Burrows, served as a United States Representative from Connecticut, and his brother, Latham A. Burrows, was a New York State senator. Both relatives held office in Congress or in the state legislature during the 1820s, providing a broader familial context for his later public career.

Burrows received his early education at academies in Plainfield, Connecticut, and Westerly, Rhode Island. After completing his studies, he moved to New York and, in 1824, settled in Albion, in Orleans County. There he began his working life as a clerk, a position he held until 1826. That year he entered into mercantile pursuits, establishing himself as a merchant in the growing community. His business activities helped lay the foundation for his later involvement in banking and local public affairs.

By the late 1830s, Burrows had become a prominent figure in Albion’s commercial life. In 1839, he assisted in establishing the Bank of Albion and served as its cashier, a role that placed him at the center of local finance. His reputation for competence and integrity in financial matters led to further responsibilities in public service. In 1840 he was appointed Treasurer of Orleans County, overseeing county funds at a time of expanding local government activity. The following year, in 1841, he served as Assignee in bankruptcy for Orleans County, administering insolvency proceedings under the federal bankruptcy laws then in effect.

Burrows’s entry into elective office began at the town level. In 1845 he was elected Supervisor of the Town of Barre in Orleans County, reflecting the confidence of his neighbors in his leadership and administrative abilities. His local service and Whig Party affiliation positioned him for higher office as national political tensions over slavery, territorial expansion, and economic policy intensified in the 1840s.

As a member of the Whig Party representing New York, Burrows was elected to the Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses, serving two terms in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1849, to March 4, 1853. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, marked by debates over the Compromise of 1850 and the balance between free and slave states. During these years he participated in the legislative process, taking part in the democratic governance of the nation and representing the interests of his New York constituents. His standing within the Whig Party was such that, in August 1852, President Millard Fillmore, a fellow New York Whig, offered to appoint him United States Postmaster General. Burrows declined the appointment, and Fillmore instead selected Connecticut Whig Samuel Dickinson Hubbard for the post.

After leaving Congress in 1853, Burrows continued his public career at the state level during a period of political realignment. He became associated with the American Party, also known as the Know Nothing movement, which drew support amid rising nativist sentiment. Elected on the American Party ticket in 1855, he served as the eighteenth New York State Comptroller from 1856 to 1857. In that election he secured 33.98 percent of the vote, prevailing over the Republican candidate and two Democratic contenders, an indication of the temporary strength of the American Party in New York politics. In 1858 he ran unsuccessfully for Governor of New York on the American Party ticket. Unlike his earlier statewide victory, he received only slightly more than ten percent of the vote, while both the recently established Republican Party and the reunited Democratic Party each captured over forty percent, underscoring the rapid decline of the American Party’s influence.

In addition to his political and financial roles, Burrows was active in various civic and institutional endeavors. He served as a director of the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company, participating in efforts to develop cross-border transportation infrastructure between the United States and Canada. In 1858 he was chosen as a regent of New York University, reflecting recognition of his stature and interest in higher education; he held this position from 1858 until his death in 1885. He was also appointed one of the commissioners of Mount Albion Cemetery in 1862, overseeing the management and development of this important local burial ground, and he continued in that capacity for the remainder of his life.

Lorenzo Burrows died on March 6, 1885. He was buried at Mount Albion Cemetery in Albion, New York, where he had long resided and to whose civic and institutional life he had devoted much of his career. His life encompassed roles as merchant, banker, county official, town supervisor, congressman, state comptroller, and civic leader, and his career reflected the shifting political currents of mid-nineteenth-century America.