Representative Nathan Belcher

Nathan Belcher (June 23, 1813 – June 2, 1891) was a United States Representative from Connecticut and a 19th-century lawyer, manufacturer, and state legislator. He was born in Preston, New London County, Connecticut, where he spent his early years in the rural environment typical of eastern Connecticut in the early republic. Details of his family background are sparse in the historical record, but his subsequent education and professional career reflect the opportunities available to a young man of ability in New England during this period.

Belcher pursued formal education at a relatively high level for his time. He completed his academic studies and was graduated from Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1832, when he was still in his late teens. Following his collegiate education, he turned to the study of law, enrolling at the Cambridge Law School—an institution associated with the emerging professionalization of legal training in Massachusetts. After completing his legal studies, he was admitted to the bar in 1836.

Upon admission to the bar, Belcher commenced the practice of law in Clinton, Connecticut. His early legal career in Clinton placed him within the professional and civic life of a small but active Connecticut community. In 1841 he relocated to New London, Connecticut, a growing seaport and commercial center on Long Island Sound. There he shifted his primary focus from law to business and industry, engaging in the manufacture of tools, hardware, and kitchen utensils. This move into manufacturing reflected the broader industrial and commercial development of Connecticut in the mid-19th century and positioned Belcher as both a lawyer and an entrepreneur.

Belcher’s involvement in public affairs developed alongside his professional and business activities. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1846 and again in 1847, participating in state legislative deliberations during a period marked by debates over economic policy and internal improvements. He advanced to the upper chamber of the state legislature as a member of the Connecticut Senate in 1850, further consolidating his role in state politics and gaining experience that would later support his candidacy for national office.

In 1852, Belcher was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress, representing Connecticut in the U.S. House of Representatives. His term in Congress extended from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855. Serving during the administration of President Franklin Pierce, he held office at a time of intensifying national tensions over slavery, territorial expansion, and sectional conflict, although the surviving record does not associate him prominently with any single major legislative initiative. He chose not to be a candidate for renomination in 1854, thus limiting his congressional service to a single term.

After leaving Congress, Belcher returned to New London and resumed his former manufacturing pursuits, continuing his involvement in the production of tools, hardware, and kitchen utensils. In addition to his industrial activities, he engaged in banking, reflecting a broader participation in the financial and commercial life of his community. His combined roles as manufacturer, banker, and former legislator made him a figure of local prominence in New London’s civic and economic affairs during the latter half of the 19th century.

Nathan Belcher remained in New London for the rest of his life. He died there on June 2, 1891, closing a long career that had spanned law, industry, state government, and national office. He was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London, Connecticut, a resting place for many of the city’s notable citizens and a reflection of his established place in the community he had served and helped to develop.