Senator Orris Sanford Ferry

Orris Sanford Ferry (August 15, 1823 – November 21, 1875) was a Republican American lawyer, soldier, and politician from Connecticut who served in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. Over the course of his public life he combined a legal career with military service as a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and a lengthy tenure in Congress, where he represented the interests of his Connecticut constituents during a transformative period in American history.

Ferry was born on August 15, 1823, and was raised in Connecticut, where he received his early education before pursuing the study of law. Admitted to the bar after completing his legal training, he established himself as a practicing attorney in the state. His work at the bar, together with growing engagement in public affairs, helped to build his reputation as a capable advocate and contributed to his emergence as a figure in Connecticut’s Republican Party during the years leading up to the Civil War.

By the late 1850s Ferry had entered national politics. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut, where he served as part of the new antislavery political coalition that was reshaping the national landscape on the eve of secession. His service in the House introduced him to federal legislative work and aligned him with the broader Republican program of preserving the Union and restricting the expansion of slavery. His performance in the House and his standing in Connecticut politics positioned him for higher office and deeper involvement in national issues.

With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Ferry took up military service in defense of the Union. He became an officer in the Union Army and rose to the rank of brigadier general. Serving with Connecticut troops, including the 5th Connecticut Infantry, he saw active field duty in the Eastern Theater. Shortly after the First Battle of Winchester, Ferry and the 5th Connecticut Infantry were placed under the command of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks. On August 9, 1862, under Banks’s overall command, Ferry participated in the Battle of Cedar Mountain in Virginia, where Union forces engaged Confederate troops led by Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. The Union troops attacked in an effort to gain an early advantage, but a determined Confederate counterattack repulsed Banks’s corps and secured a Confederate victory. Later that day, Union reinforcements under Major General John Pope arrived, leading to a two-day stand-off between the opposing armies before the battle concluded in favor of the Confederates. Ferry’s Civil War service, including his role in such engagements, underscored his commitment to the Union cause and added military distinction to his political résumé.

After his wartime service, Ferry returned to national legislative life and entered the United States Senate as a Republican Senator from Connecticut. Orris Sanford Ferry served as a Senator from Connecticut in the United States Congress from 1859 to 1875, holding office during three terms in a period that encompassed the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the early postwar years. As a member of the Senate, he participated in the democratic process and contributed to the legislative work of rebuilding the nation, addressing the status of the former Confederate states, and dealing with questions of civil rights, economic policy, and federal authority that defined the era. Throughout his Senate career he represented the interests of his Connecticut constituents while aligning with the broader priorities of the Republican Party in the postwar settlement.

Ferry remained in the Senate until his death in office on November 21, 1875. His passing placed him among the members of the United States Congress who died while still serving between 1790 and 1899. Remembered as both a legislator and a Union general, he embodied the generation of Republican leaders whose careers spanned the crisis of disunion, the trials of civil war, and the complex work of Reconstruction.