Representative Milton De Lano

Milton De Lano (August 11, 1844 – January 2, 1922) was an American businessman and Republican United States Representative from New York who served in Congress from 1887 to 1891. He was born in Wampsville, Madison County, New York, where he attended the common schools. As a young man he moved to nearby Canastota, New York, a growing canal and railroad community, and there engaged in mercantile pursuits for eight years, establishing himself in local business and civic affairs.

De Lano’s early public service began at the town and county level. He served as town clerk of Lenox, New York, from 1867 to 1869, gaining administrative experience in local government. He was subsequently elected sheriff of Madison County, holding that office from 1873 to 1875 and again from 1879 to 1881. During these years he broadened his business interests, engaging in banking, the real-estate business, and the manufacture of window glass, activities that reflected the economic development of central New York in the late nineteenth century.

Deeply involved in educational and community matters, De Lano became a member of the Canastota Board of Education in 1883 and served continuously until 1905. From 1893 to 1905 he was president of the board, playing a leading role in the oversight and improvement of the local public schools. He also aided in the organization of the Canastota Northern Railroad Company, contributing to the region’s transportation infrastructure and commercial growth. In national politics, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1884, which helped elevate his profile within the party and set the stage for his subsequent congressional career.

De Lano was elected as a Republican to the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Congresses, representing New York in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1887, to March 3, 1891. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history marked by industrial expansion, veterans’ issues, and debates over tariffs and federal economic policy. As a member of the House of Representatives, Milton De Lano participated in the legislative process, represented the interests of his New York constituents, and contributed to the broader democratic governance of the nation.

During the Fifty-first Congress, De Lano served as chairman of the Committee on Pensions, a position of particular importance in the decades following the Civil War, when questions of veterans’ benefits and federal pension policy were central legislative concerns. In this role he helped oversee and shape legislation related to pensions for former soldiers and their families. After two terms in office, he declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1890 and returned to private life, resuming his banking and business activities in Canastota.

In his later years, De Lano remained active in finance and regional enterprise. He served as receiver of the Hudson River Power Company from 1908 to 1912, managing the affairs of that utility during a period of corporate reorganization. In 1912 he became president of the State Bank of Canastota, reflecting his long-standing prominence in local banking and commerce. Milton De Lano died in Syracuse, New York, on January 2, 1922. He was interred in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Canastota, closing a life marked by sustained engagement in business, education, local government, and national legislative service.