Biography

02/04/1804 - 04/11/1891

Judge Henry Chapman (D6) Bucks County 1844-1846

Early Life:

Judge Henry Chapman, born February 4, 1804, Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania; son of Abraham and Elizabeth Meredith Chapman; Doylestown Academy; Doctor Gummere’s private boys’ school, Burlington, New Jersey; studied law; admitted, bar, 1825, commenced, law practice, Doylestown, Pennsylvania; married, Rebecca Stewart (d. 1837), children, Elizabeth, Mary Rebecca, Henry A., Thomas Stewart; remarried, Nancy Findlay Shunk, children, Frances, Arthur; elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania State Senate, 1844-1846; judge, fifteenth judicial district, 1845-1849; elected, Democrat, United States House of Representatives, 1857-1859; Judge, Bucks County Court, 1861- retired, 1871; died, April 11, 1891 (aged 87), Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania Doylestown Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania Politics: 

Elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania State Senate, 6th district, 1844-1846.

Judge, fifteenth judicial district, 1845-1849. 

Judge, Bucks County Court, 1861- retired, 1871. 

Continued Government Service/National Politics:

Elected, Democrat, United States House of Representatives, Thirty-fifth Congress, 1857-1859; declined renomination, 1858.

Legacy: 

Wife, Nancy Findlay Shunk, daughter, Governor Francis R. Shunk.

Built his house, Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 1844, now known as James-Lorah House, was the birthplace of Henry Chapman Mercer on June 24, 1856. 

Uncle, Henry Chapman Mercer, founder, Moravian Pottery and Tile Works for making Moravian-style tiles which were later used throughout the Pennsylvania State Capitol. 

Cited:

Cox, Harold "Senate Members "C". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.

Henry Chapman (1804-1891) - Find a Grave Memorial