Representative Moses Hampton

Moses Hampton (October 28, 1803 – June 27, 1878) was a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He served two terms in Congress during a significant period in American history, participating in the legislative process and representing the interests of his constituents as a member of the Whig Party.

Hampton was born on October 28, 1803, in Beaver, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. In his youth he moved with his parents to Trumbull County, Ohio, where he spent part of his early life. He later returned to Pennsylvania to pursue higher education, undertaking classical studies that prepared him for a professional career.

Hampton attended Washington College in Washington, Pennsylvania (an institution that later became part of Washington and Jefferson College), and graduated in 1827. After completing his collegiate education, he read law in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He was admitted to the bar in 1829 and commenced the practice of law in Somerset, Pennsylvania, establishing himself as a young attorney in the western part of the state.

In 1838 Hampton moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he continued the practice of law and rose to prominence in the local legal community. In Pittsburgh he founded a law practice that would, through subsequent growth and succession, evolve into the firm known in modern times as Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, one of the region’s leading law firms. His legal work and professional reputation in Pittsburgh helped lay the foundation for his later political and judicial career.

Hampton was elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth and Thirty-first Congresses, representing Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1851. During these two terms in office, he contributed to the legislative process at a time marked by debates over territorial expansion, economic policy, and sectional tensions in the years leading up to the Civil War. He chose not to be a candidate for renomination in 1850, thereby concluding his service in Congress after two consecutive terms.

Following his congressional service, Hampton returned to Pennsylvania’s legal and judicial life. In 1853 he became president judge of the Allegheny County District Court, a position of considerable responsibility in the state judiciary. He held this office for many years, presiding over a wide range of civil and criminal matters and helping to shape the administration of justice in western Pennsylvania. His tenure is recorded as extending from 1853 to 1879, reflecting his long-standing influence on the bench.

In his later years, Hampton resided at his home known as “Hampton Place,” located adjoining the village of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. He died there on June 27, 1878. He was interred in Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, one of the city’s principal burial grounds. His legacy in the region is reflected in the naming of Hampton Township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, which honors his contributions to the state’s legal and political history.