Jonah Sanford

Who was Jonah Sanford?

Jonah Sanford was a U.S. Representative from New York, great-grandfather of Rollin Brewster Sanford.

Born in Cornwall, Vermont, Sanford attended the district schools. He moved to Hopkinton, New York, in 1811. Enlisted as a volunteer and participated in the battle at Plattsburg, September 11, 1814. He was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1818 and served for twenty-two years. He studied law. He was admitted to the bar and practiced in Franklin County. Supervisor of Hopkinton 1823-1826. Commissioned a captain of Volunteer Cavalry in 1827. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1828, colonel in 1831, and brigadier general of State militia in 1832 and 1833. He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1829 and 1830.

Sanford was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Silas Wright, Jr., and served from November 3, 1830, to March 3, 1831. He served as judge of the court of common pleas 1831-1837. He served as delegate to the convention to revise the State constitution in 1846. He became a Republican upon the formation of that party in 1856. Raised a regiment during the Civil War and was elected its colonel.