John Langdon (politician)

"Senator Langdon" redirects here. For his brother, a member of the New Hampshire state senate, see Woodbury Langdon.

John Langdon Jr. (June 26, 1741 – September 18, 1819) was an American politician and Founding Father from New Hampshire. He served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, signed the United States Constitution, and was one of the first two United States senators from New Hampshire.

John Langdon
Portrait by Hattie Elizabeth Burdette, 1916.
2nd President of New Hampshire and 3rd Governor of New Hampshire
In office June 5, 1810 as Governor – June 5, 1812
Preceded by	Jeremiah Smith
Succeeded by	William Plumer
In office June 6, 1805 as Governor – June 8, 1809
Preceded by	John Taylor Gilman
Succeeded by	Jeremiah Smith
In office June 4, 1788 as President – January 22, 1789
Preceded by	John Sullivan
Succeeded by	John Sullivan
In office June 1, 1785 as President – June 7, 1786
Preceded by	Meshech Weare
Succeeded by	John Sullivan
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office November 5, 1792 – December 2, 1793
Preceded by	Richard Henry Lee
Succeeded by	Ralph Izard
In office April 6, 1789 – August 9, 1789
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Richard Henry Lee
United States Senator from New Hampshire
In office March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1801
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	James Sheafe
Personal details
Born	(1741-06-26)June 26, 1741 Portsmouth, New Hampshire, British America
Died	September 18, 1819(1819-09-18) (aged 78) Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political party	Pro-Administration Anti-Administration Democratic-Republican
Signature

As a member of the Continental Congress, Langdon was an early supporter of the Revolutionary War. He later served in the United States Congress for 12 years, including as the first president pro tempore of the Senate, before becoming president and later governor of New Hampshire. He turned down a nomination for U.S. vice presidential candidate in 1812.

Ancestry and early life

Although information about John Langdon's specific ancestry is not widely available, it is known that his family had roots in England. His father, John Langdon Sr., was a descendant of English settlers who had come to the American colonies. The Langdon family was part of the early wave of European settlers who arrived in New England in the 17th century, seeking new opportunities and religious freedom.

The Langdon surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have originated from multiple places in England. In the 17th century, the Langdon last name was particularly common in the southwestern counties of England, specifically in Cornwall and Devon. The name is derived from Old English words "lang" (meaning long) and "dūn" (meaning hill). It is a locational surname, meaning it was likely given to individuals who lived near a long hill or a similar geographical feature.

One example of a Langdon coat of arms, particularly associated with the Langdons of Cornwall and Devon, is described as follows: "Argent, a chevron between three escallops sable." In heraldic terms, this description indicates a silver or white shield (argent) featuring a black chevron (chevron sable) with three black scallop shells (escallops sable) placed above and below the chevron.

Langdon's father was a prosperous farmer and local shipbuilder whose family had emigrated to America before 1660 from Sheviock, Caradon, Cornwall. The Langdons were among the first of New England's major seaports. Langdon attended the local grammar school run by a veteran of the 1745 Siege of Louisbourg against the French at Fortress of Louisbourg in New France. After finishing his primary education, he and his older brother, Woodbury Langdon, rejected the opportunity to join in their father's successful agricultural livelihood and apprenticed themselves to local naval merchants.

By age 22, Langdon was captain of the cargo ship Andromache, sailing to the West Indies. Four years later he owned his first merchantman and would continue over time to acquire a small fleet of vessels engaging in the triangle trade between Portsmouth, the Caribbean, and London. His older brother was even more successful in international trade, and by 1777 both young men were among Portsmouth's wealthiest citizens.

American Revolution

British control of the shipping industries limited Langdon's business, motivating him to become a vigorous and prominent supporter of the colonial American revolutionary movement in the 1770s. He served on the New Hampshire provincial committee of correspondence and a non-importation committee about British goods and also attended various Patriot assemblies. In 1774, he participated in the seizure and confiscation of British munitions from Fort William and Mary at Portsmouth harbor.

Langdon served as a member delegate of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1776, serving as a member of its Marine Committee which supervised the beginnings of the Continental Navy. Eleven years later, he was also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787, and subsequently one of the signatories of the U.S. Constitution. He resigned from the Continental Congress in June 1776 to become an agent for the Continental naval forces against the British and superintended the construction of several new American warships including the Raleigh, the America, and the Ranger. The next year in 1777, he equipped an expedition against the British, participating in the Battle of Bennington further west in nearby Vermont, and commanding Langdon's Company of Light Horse Volunteers at the Battles of Saratoga and at Rhode Island.

Political career

Governor John Langdon House, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

In 1784, he built at Portsmouth the mansion now known as the Governor John Langdon House. Langdon was elected to two terms as president of New Hampshire, once between 1785 and 1786 and again between 1788 and 1789. He was a member of the Congress of the Confederation in 1787 and became president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, serving as a member of the New Hampshire delegation. Langdon was elected to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1801. He was elected the first president pro tempore of the Senate on April 6, 1789, and also served as president pro tempore during the Second Congress.

During the 1787 constitutional debates in Philadelphia, Langdon spoke out against James Madison's proposed "negative" on state laws simply because he felt that should the Senate be granted this power and not the House of Representatives, it would "hurt the feelings" of House members. Langdon was an ardent supporter of the drive to ratify the Constitution of the United States in New Hampshire. On June 21, 1788, it was ratified by New Hampshire by a vote of 57-47. He immediately wrote to George Washington to inform him that New Hampshire had become the ninth state which he described as the "Key Stone in the Great Arch. Joshua Atherton, who campaigned against ratification, accepted the result and stated, 'It's adopted. Let’s try it'”.

In April 1789, Langdon served as president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, prior to John Adams' election as vice president, and counted the votes of the electoral college in the first presidential election.

In 1798, Langdon assisted Oney Judge to evade Burwell Bassett, the nephew of George and Martha Washington, who had intended to kidnap Judge and return her to slavery with the Washingtons. That July, he was one of four senators to oppose military force in the Quasi-War.

Langdon served as a member of the New Hampshire Legislature (1801–1805), with the last two terms as speaker; he served as governor of New Hampshire from 1805 to 1812, except for a year between 1809 and 1810. In 1808, his niece, Catherine Whipple Langdon, married Edmund Roberts. Langdon declined the nomination to be a candidate for vice president with James Madison in 1812.

Death and legacy

Langdon died in Portsmouth in 1819 and was interred at the Langdon Tomb in the North Cemetery. The town of Langdon, New Hampshire, is named after him, as is Langdon Street in Madison, Wisconsin, a city with numerous streets named after Founding Fathers.

His nephew, Henry Sherburne Langdon, married Ann Eustis and had a son named John Agustine Langdon Eustis. The latter emigrated to Argentina and died in Buenos Aires in 1876. He had many descendants, who in turn married into the high society of Argentina, such as the Saenz Valiente, Pueyrredon, Obarrio and Beccar Varela families.

See also

• New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 114: North Cemetery
• New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 127: John Langdon (1741–1819)

References

• United States Congress. "John Langdon (id: L000067)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• "The Founding Fathers: New Hampshire." U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.[1]
• Wright, Jr., Robert K; MacGregor, Jr., Morris J. (1987). "John Langdon". Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 71-25. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
• State Builders: An Illustrated Historical and Biographical Record of the State of New Hampshire. State Builers Publishing Manchester, NH 1903
• Mayo, Lawrence Shaw. "John Langdon of New Hampshire". Port Washington, New York: Kennikat Press, 1937.

External links

• Governor John Langdon House, Historic New England
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Langdon, John" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.