Amasa Dana

Who was Amasa Dana?

Amasa Dana was a U.S. Representative from New York.

Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Dana attended private schools and Dana Academy in Wilkes-Barre. He studied law in Owego, New York. He was admitted to the bar in 1817 and practiced. He moved to Ithaca, New York, in 1821 and continued the practice of law. He served as district attorney of Tompkins County 1823–1837. He served as member of the New York State Assembly in 1828 and 1829. He served as president and trustee of the village of Ithaca in 1835, 1836, and 1839.

Dana was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Tompkins County in 1837.

Dana was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-sixth Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1840. He resumed the practice of law.

Dana was elected to the Twenty-eighth Congress. He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy. He resumed the practice of his profession and also engaged in banking. He died in Ithaca, New York, on December 24, 1867. He was interred in Ithaca City Cemetery.