Samuel Dinsmoor

Born in 1766 in Windham in the Province of New Hampshire, Dinsmoor was the son of William and Elizabeth (Cochran) Dinsmoor.{{cite book|last=Bell|first=Charles Henry|title=The bench and bar of New Hampshire: including biographical notices of deceased judges of the highest court, and lawyers of the province and state, and a list of names of those now living|year=1893|publisher=The bench and bar of New Hampshire: including biographical notices of deceased judges of the highest court, and lawyers of the province and state, and a list of names of those now living|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_lAE9AAAAIAAJ/page/n335 316]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_lAE9AAAAIAAJ|quote=samuel dinsmoor Windham, New Hampshire.}} He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1789,{{cite book|last=Hammond|first=Otis Grant|title=The Granite Monthly: A Magazine of Literature, History and State Progress, Volume 10|year=1887|publisher=J.N. McClintock|page=283|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsJYAAAAMAAJ&q=samuel+dinsmoor+dartmouth&pg=PA283}} worked as a teacher, studied law and was admitted to the bar. He established a law practice in Keene, New Hampshire, where he was appointed as Postmaster in 1808.{{cite book|last=McClintock|first=John Norris|title=History of New Hampshire|year=1888|publisher=B. B. Russell|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8e6FpX4eu1wC/page/n726 664]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8e6FpX4eu1wC|quote=samuel dinsmoor Windham, New Hampshire.}} He helped organize the Keene light infantry and was the infantry commander.{{cite book|last=Bell|first=Charles Henry|title=The bench and bar of New Hampshire: including biographical notices of deceased judges of the highest court, and lawyers of the province and state, and a list of names of those now living|year=1893|publisher=The bench and bar of New Hampshire: including biographical notices of deceased judges of the highest court, and lawyers of the province and state, and a list of names of those now living|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_lAE9AAAAIAAJ/page/n335 316]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_lAE9AAAAIAAJ|quote=samuel dinsmoor Windham, New Hampshire.}}

Elected as a Democratic-Republican, Dinsmoor represented New Hampshire in the United States House of Representatives during the Twelfth Congress, serving from March 4, 1811, to March 3, 1813.{{cite book|last=United States. Congress. House|title=Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States: Being the First Session of the First Congress-3rd Session of the 13th Congress, March 4, 1789-Sept. 19, 1814, Volume 8|year=1826|publisher=Gales and Seaton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U-o4AQAAMAAJ&q=samuel+dinsmoor+United+States+House+of+Representatives+1811&pg=PA31}} Dinsmoor was an 1820 presidential elector, and served on New Hampshire Governor's Council in 1821.{{cite book|last=Shinn|first=Josiah Hazen|title=Pioneers and Makers of Arkansas|year=1908|publisher=Genealogical Publishing Company|page=[https://archive.org/details/pioneersandmake01shingoog/page/n40 36]|url=https://archive.org/details/pioneersandmake01shingoog|quote=samuel dinsmoor Windham, New Hampshire.}} He was a commission member that negotiated and established the boundary line between Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1825.{{cite book|last=Green|first=Samuel Abbott|title=The Boundary Line Between Massachusetts and New Hampshire: From the Merrimack River to the Connecticut : a Paper Read Before the Old Residents' Historical Association of Lowell, on December 21, 1893, the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Formation of the Society|year=1894|publisher=Lowell Courier Publishing Company|page=[https://archive.org/details/boundarylinebet00greegoog/page/n28 27]|url=https://archive.org/details/boundarylinebet00greegoog|quote=samuel dinsmoor established the boundary line between Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1825.}} He also served as state court judge in New Hampshire from 1823 to 1831.{{cite book|last=Benjamin|first=W.R.|title=The Collector, Issues 128–137|year=1899|publisher=W.R. Benjamin|page=83|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AFM9AAAAYAAJ&q=samuel+dinsmoor+state+court+judge+1823+1831&pg=PA83}}

Securing the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Dinsmoor was elected Governor by a popular vote in 1831.{{cite web|title=Samuel Dinsmoor|url=http://www.hsccnh.org/educationtl/tl4.cfm|publisher=Historical Society of Cheshire County, New Hampshire|access-date=January 10, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110182805/http://www.hsccnh.org/educationtl/tl4.cfm|archive-date=January 10, 2014|df=mdy-all}} He was reelected to a second term in 1832,{{cite book|last=New Hampshire. General Court. Senate|title=Journal of the Senate of New Hampshire|year=1832|publisher=New Hampshire. General Court. Senate|page=13|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qUFNAAAAYAAJ&q=Journal+of+the+Senate+of+New+Hampshire+samuel+dinsmoor&pg=PA13}}{{cite book|last=Morrison|first=Leonard Allison|title=Historical : the earliest history and genealogy, covering nearly three hundred years, from about 1600 to 1891, of the Dinsmoor-Dinsmore family of Scotland, Ireland, and America; with that of many of their descendants, and additional facts relating to the sixteen first settlers and their families of Londonderry, New Hampshire, who emigrated to America in 1719|year=1843|publisher=Lowell, Mass. : Morning Mail Print|url=https://archive.org/stream/historicalearlie00morr/historicalearlie00morr_djvu.txt}} and to a third term in 1833, serving from 1831 to 1834.{{cite book|last=Chapman|first=George Thomas|title=Sketches of the Alumni of Dartmouth College: From the First Graduation in 1771 to the Present Time, with a Brief History of the Institution|year=1867|publisher=Riverside Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_sju7AAAAIAAJ/page/n52 50]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_sju7AAAAIAAJ|quote=samuel dinsmoor dartmouth.}} During his tenure, new manufacturing businesses were incorporated, railroads and banks flourished, and the first free public library in the United States was established in Peterborough.{{cite book|last=Pearlmutter|first=Jane and Nelson, Paul|title=Small Public Library Management|year=2012|publisher=American Library Association|page=2|isbn=9780838910856|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qtLIkKPafx4C&q=first+public++library+peterborough%2C+New+Hampshire&pg=PA2}}{{cite book|last=Brown|first=Dottie|title=New Hampshire|year=2002|publisher=Lerner Publications|page=61|isbn=9780822540861|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rOsvc0SYYi8C&q=first+public++library+peterborough%2C+New+Hampshire&pg=PA61}}

During his governorship, he also made the first official recommendation to establish a state asylum for the insane to remove the insane from prisons, dungeons, and cages.{{cite web|url=http://keenepubliclibrary.org/sites/default/files/bioAH.pdf|title= Biographical Sketches|publisher=Keene Public Library |access-date= January 11, 2014}} In 1838, a bill for the establishment of an asylum was finally passed by the state.{{cite web|title=Samuel Dinsmoor|url=https://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php?title=Concord_State_Hospital|publisher=New Hampshire State Hospital|access-date=January 10, 2014}} He retired from political life and entered the private sector, serving as the first president of the Ashuelot Bank in Keene. He served in that position until his death.{{cite web|url=http://keenepubliclibrary.org/sites/default/files/bioAH.pdf|title= Biographical Sketches|publisher=Keene Public Library |access-date= January 11, 2014}}

Dinsmoor died in Keene, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, on March 15, 1835 (age 68 years, 257 days). He is interred at Washington Street Cemetery in Keene, New Hampshire.

Dinsmoor was the grandson of Robert and Margaret (Orr) Dinsmoor who settled in Nutfield in 1723. In 1798, he married Mary Boyd Reid, daughter of General George Reid and Molly (Woodburn) Reid.{{cite web|url= https://archive.org/stream/historicalearlie00morr/historicalearlie00morr_djvu.txt|title= Historical : the earliest history and genealogy, covering nearly three hundred years, from about 1600 to 1891, of the Dinsmoor-Dinsmore family of Scotland, Ireland, and America; with that of many of their descendants, and additional facts relating to the sixteen first settlers and their families of Londonderry, New Hampshire, who emigrated to America in 1719|year= 1891|publisher=Internet Archive |access-date= January 11, 2014}}

His son was Samuel Dinsmoor Jr., the 22nd Governor of New Hampshire.{{cite book|last=Ellery|first=Harrison and Bowditch, Charles Pickering|title=The Pickering genealogy: being an account of the first three generations of the Pickering family of Salem, Mass., and of the descendants of John and Sarah (Burrill) Pickering, of the third generation, Volume 2|year=1897|publisher=University Press, J. Wilson and Son|page=691|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sZZQAAAAYAAJ&q=samuel+dinsmoor+son+was+Samuel+Dinsmoor%2C+Jr.&pg=PA691}}{{cite book|last=McClintock|first=John Norris|title=History of New Hampshire|year=1888|publisher=B. B. Russell|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8e6FpX4eu1wC/page/n623 607]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8e6FpX4eu1wC|quote=samuel dinsmoor son was Samuel Dinsmoor, Jr.}}

{{reflist|2}}

{{CongBio|D000357}}

• {{Find a Grave|6964820}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20091020054405/http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=8f0149a7078d7010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD National Governors Association profile]

{{S-start}}

{{s-ppo}}

{{s-bef|before=Samuel Bell}}

{{s-ttl|title=Democratic-Republican nominee for Governor of New Hampshire|years=1823}}

{{s-aft|after=Levi Woodbury}}

{{s-bef|before=Matthew Harvey}}

{{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Governor of New Hampshire|years=1831, 1832, 1833}}

{{s-aft|after=William Badger}}

{{s-par|us-hs}}

{{s-bef|before=John Curtis Chamberlain}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of the House of Representatives
from New Hampshire's at-large (Seat 2) congressional district|years=1811–1813}}

{{s-aft|after=Samuel Smith}}

{{s-off}}

{{succession box |title=Governor of New Hampshire | before=Joseph M. Harper
Acting | after=William Badger | years=1831–1834}}

{{s-end}}

{{Governors of New Hampshire}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dinsmoor, Samuel}}

Category:1766 births

Category:1835 deaths

Category:People from Windham, New Hampshire

Category:Dartmouth College alumni

Category:Politicians from Keene, New Hampshire

Category:New Hampshire postmasters

Category:Democratic Party governors of New Hampshire

Category:Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire

Category:Schoolteachers from New Hampshire

Category:19th-century American lawyers

Category:New Hampshire lawyers

Category:19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives