Representative Samuel George Andrews

Samuel George Andrews (October 16, 1796 – June 11, 1863) was an American businessman and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1857 to 1859. A member of the Whig Party who later aligned with the emerging Republican Party, he participated in national politics during a critical pre–Civil War period, representing the interests of his New York constituents in the 35th United States Congress.

Andrews was born in Derby, New Haven County, Connecticut, on October 16, 1796. He attended local public schools and pursued further studies at a classical academy in Chester, Connecticut, receiving the type of education that prepared many young men of his generation for commercial and public careers. In 1815 he moved with his parents to the growing frontier community of Rochester, New York, which would remain his home for the rest of his life. Soon after settling there, he engaged in the mercantile business, establishing himself as a businessman in a city that was rapidly developing as a commercial center along the Erie Canal.

Andrews’s public career began in the early 1830s with a series of administrative and clerical posts in New York State government. He served as clerk of the New York State Assembly in 1831 and 1832, a position that involved managing legislative records and proceedings. He then became clerk of Monroe County from 1834 to 1837, gaining experience in local administration. In 1838 he served as a member of the Rochester board of aldermen, participating in municipal governance during a period of urban growth. At the state level, he was secretary of the New York State Senate in 1840 and 1841 and also served for two years as clerk of the state court of errors, then New York’s highest appellate tribunal. On January 8, 1842, he was appointed postmaster of Rochester, a significant federal patronage position that he held until 1845, when his successor was appointed.

In addition to these administrative roles, Andrews became a prominent figure in Rochester’s municipal leadership. He was elected mayor of Rochester in 1840, reflecting his growing influence in local affairs, and he again held the mayoralty in 1856. His repeated selection for this office underscored his standing in the community and his reputation as a capable civic leader. During these years he remained active in business and public life, bridging commercial interests and political responsibilities in a rapidly industrializing city.

By the mid-1850s, Andrews had moved from the Whig Party into the newly formed Republican Party, which attracted many former Whigs opposed to the expansion of slavery. He was a New York delegate to the 1856 Republican National Convention, participating in the early organization of the party at the national level. Elected as a Whig (later associated with the Republican Party) to the 35th United States Congress from New York’s 29th congressional district, he served from March 4, 1857, to March 3, 1859. As a member of the Republican Party representing New York, Andrews contributed to the legislative process during his single term in office. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, as sectional tensions over slavery and states’ rights intensified, and he took part in the democratic process at a time when debates in Washington were increasingly dominated by issues that would soon lead to the Civil War.

After leaving Congress in 1859, Andrews returned to private life in Rochester. While specific details of his later activities are less fully documented, his long record of service in local, state, and federal positions left him well known in his community. He remained in Rochester until his death, continuing to be identified with the city whose early growth he had helped to shape through both business and public office.

Samuel George Andrews died in Rochester, New York, on June 11, 1863, at the age of 66. He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, a burial place for many of the city’s notable citizens. His career, spanning mercantile pursuits, municipal leadership, state administrative service, and a term in the U.S. House of Representatives, reflected the trajectory of a nineteenth-century American public servant who rose with the development of his adopted city and state.