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John A. Collier
John A. Collier
	Sketch of Collier in 1897 publication
12th New York State Comptroller
	In office; January 27, 1841 – February 7, 1842
Governor	William H. Seward
Preceded by	Bates Cooke
Succeeded by	Azariah C. Flagg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; from New York's 21st district
	In office; March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833
Preceded by	Robert Monell
Succeeded by	Henry Mitchell
District attorney of Broome County
	In office; 1818–1822
Personal details
Born	November 13, 1787; Litchfield, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	March 24, 1873 (aged 85); Binghamton, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Spring Forest Cemetery; Binghamton, New York, U.S.
Political party	Anti-Masonic
Spouses	; Barbara Doty (m. 1810; died 1826) ; Lydia Shephard (m. 1829; died 1829) Elizabeth Morris;
Children	6
Relatives	Edwin Arthur Hall (great-grandson)
Alma mater	Yale College; Litchfield Law School
Occupation	Politician; lawyer; developer;

John Allen Collier (November 13, 1787 – March 24, 1873) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.

Early life

John Allen Collier was born on November 13, 1787, in Litchfield, Connecticut. He attended Yale College in 1803, then studied law at Litchfield Law School. He was admitted to the bar at Troy, New York, in 1809.^[1]

Career

After graduating, Collier started practicing law in Binghamton, New York. He was District Attorney of Broome County from June 11, 1818, to February 25, 1822.^[1] He partnered with Daniel Leroy in developing projects in Binghamton. They built bridges and roads, and developed parcels. Leroy would move west and leave Collier to continue the work himself.^[2]

Collier was elected as an Anti-Mason to the 22nd United States Congress, serving from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1833. He was defeated for re-election in 1832.^[1]

He was New York State Comptroller from January 27, 1841, to February 7, 1842, elected by the New York State Legislature to fill the unexpired term of Bates Cooke. Then, he resumed the practice of law.^[1]^[3]

He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1844 to the U.S. Congress. He was appointed a commissioner to revise the state statutes in 1847. He was a presidential elector on the Whig ticket in 1848.^[1] He gave a speech at the 1848 Whig National Convention that suggested Millard Fillmore as the vice presidential candidate on Zachary Taylor's ticket. When Fillmore became president, Collier was reportedly selected by Fillmore for appointment as collector of taxes in San Francisco, but Fillmore's allies prevented the appointment from happening due to Collier's personal affairs. Collier's son James was appointed to that role, but only served for six months before he was removed from the role due to "fiscal malfeasance".^[2]^[4]

Personal life

Collier married Barbara Doty in 1810. They had four children. His wife died in 1826.^[2] In 1829, Collier married Lydia Shephard. They had one child and she died during the birth in 1829. He then married Elizabeth Morris. They had one child.^[2] He had a reputation as a womanizer and was arrested for exposure at an Albany hotel.^[2]^[4] He was the great-grandfather of United States Representative Edwin Arthur Hall.^[1]

Collier built Ingleside in 1837. It was a Greek Revival house on Chenango Street in Binghamton.^[2]^[4]^[5] The house was demolished in 1967.^[6]

Collier died on March 24, 1873, at his home in Binghamton.^[1]^[7] He was buried at the Spring Forest Cemetery in Binghamton.^[1]

Legacy

A street in Binghamton is named in his honor.^[4]^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Collier, John Allen". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Smith, Gerald R. (October 22, 2016). "Local Founder: The rise and fall of developer John Collier". Press & Sun-Bulletin. p. A2. Retrieved July 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Hough, Franklin B. (1858). The New-York Civil List. p. 34. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Lawyer earned posthumous praise". Press & Sun Bulletin. August 4, 2014. p. A4. Retrieved July 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Mansion Built in 1837 by Lawyer John A. Collier Now Motor Freight Depot". The Binghamton Press. April 11, 1929. p. 14. Retrieved July 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Remembering when..." Press & Sun Bulletin. September 25, 1999. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Obituary" (PDF). The New York Times. March 25, 1873. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
^ "Rivers aid Binghamton's growth". Press & Sun Bulletin. July 4, 1976. p. 19H. Retrieved July 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

John A. Collier on Political Graveyard
John A. Collier at Find a Grave

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Robert Monell	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 21st congressional district 1831–1833	Succeeded by Henry Mitchell
Political offices
Preceded by Bates Cooke	New York State Comptroller 1841–1842	Succeeded by Azariah C. Flagg