History of Middle Haddam, (Middlesex County) Connecticut United States of America

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Henry Champion Deming, representative, was born in Middle Haddam, Conn., in 1815. He was graduated at Yale in 1836 and at Harvard law school in 1838. He practised law in New York city and while in New York edited with Park Benjamin the New World, a literary magazine. He transferred his law office to Hartford, Conn., in 1847; was a representative in the state legislature, 1849-50; a state senator in 1851 and again a representative, 1859-61, serving as speaker of the house in 1861. He was mayor of Hartford, 1854-58, and 1860-62. He was a state rights Democrat up to 1861. In September, 1861, he was commissioned colonel of the 12th Connecticut volunteers and accompanied General Butler's expedition to New Orleans. When the city was captured, the 12th Connecticut had the post of honor as guard to the custom house and Colonel Deming was acting mayor of the city from October, 1862, to February, 1863, when he resigned from the army. He returned to Hartford and in April, 1863, was elected a representative in the 38th congress and was a member of the committee on military affairs and chairman of the committee on expenditures in the war department. He was re-elected to the 39th congress, was retained on the two committees, and on the death of President Lincoln was on the committee to direct his obsequies. In 1866 he was a delegate to the Loyalist convention in Philadelphia and the same year was a member of the committee appointed to attend the funeral of General Scott. He was appointed by President Grant collector of internal revenue for his district, serving 1869-72. He published: translations of Sue's Mysteries of Paris and Wandering Jew (1840); Eulogy on Abraham Lincoln (1865); and Life of Ulysses S. Grant (1868). He died in Hartford, Conn., Oct. 9, 1872.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Middle Haddam, (Middlesex County) Connecticut

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