John Langdon

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For other people named John Langdon, see John Langdon (disambiguation)

John Langdon

John Langdon (June 26, 1741—September 18, 1819) was a politician from New Hampshire and one of the first two United States Senators from that state. Langdon was an early supporter of the American Revolutionary War and later served in the Continental Congress. After being in Congress for 12 years, including serving as the first President pro tempore of the Senate, Langdon became Governor of New Hampshire. He turned down a nomination for Vice Presidential candidate in 1812, and later retired until his death in 1819. Today, Langdon is considered the most important New Hampshire politician in early American history.

Langdon was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His father was a prosperous farmer and local politician, whose family had emigrated to America before 1660 and was among the first to settle near the mouth of Piscataqua River, a settlement which became Portsmouth, one of New England's major seaports. Langdon attended the local grammar school, run by a veteran of the 1745 siege against the French at Fortress Louisbourg in Canada. After finishing his primary education, Langdon served an apprenticeship as a clerk. He and his older brother, Woodbury, rejected the opportunity to join in their father's successful agricultural pursuits, and went to sea instead, apprenticed themselves to local naval merchants.

By age 22, Langdon was captain of a cargo ship called the Andromache sailing to the West Indies. Four years later he owned his first merchantman, and would continue over time to acquire a small fleet of vessels, engaged in the triangular trade between Portsmouth, the Caribbean, and London. His older brother was even more successful in international trade, and by 1770 both young men were among Portsmouth's wealthiest citizens.

British control of the shipping industries greatly hurt Langdon's business, motivating him to become a vigorous and prominent supporter of the revolutionary movement in the 1770s. He served on the New Hampshire committee of correspondence and a nonimportation committee, and also attended various patriot assemblies. In 1774, he participated in the seizure and confiscation of British munitions from Fort William and Mary.

Langdon served as a member of the First Continental Congress from 1775 to 1776. He resigned in June 1776 to become agent for the Continental forces against the British and superintended the construction of several warships including the Raleigh, the America, and the Ranger which was captained by John Paul Jones. In 1777, he equipped an expedition against the British, participating in the Battle of Bennington and commanding Langdon's Company of Light Horse Volunteers at Saratoga and in Rhode Island.

Langdon was again a member of the Continental Congress in 1787 and became a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, serving as a member of the New Hampshire delegation. Langdon was elected to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1801. He was elected the first President pro tempore of the Senate on April 6, 1789, and also served as President pro tempore during the Second Congress.

Langdon later served as a member of the New Hampshire legislature (1801-05), with the last two terms as Speaker; he served as Governor of New Hampshire from 1805-11, with the exception of 1809. Langdon declined the nomination to be a candidate for Vice President in 1812, and later retired. He died in his hometown of Portsmouth in 1819, and was interred at the Langdon Tomb in the North Cemetery.

The town of Langdon, New Hampshire is named after John Langdon.

Govenor John Langdon House, A National Historic Landmark

Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
"The Founding Fathers: New Hampshire." U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.[1]
"John Langdon." Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution. U.S. Army Center of Military History. [2]

Preceded by Meshech Weare	Governor of New Hampshire 1785–1786	Succeeded by John Sullivan
Preceded by John Sullivan	Governor of New Hampshire 1788–1789	Succeeded by John Sullivan
Preceded by John Taylor Gilman	Governor of New Hampshire 1805–1809	Succeeded by Jeremiah Smith
Preceded by Jeremiah Smith	Governor of New Hampshire 1810–1812	Succeeded by William Plumer
Preceded by None	United States Senator (Class 3) from New Hampshire 1789–1801 Served alongside: Paine Wingate, Samuel Livermore	Succeeded by James Sheafe
Preceded by none	*President pro tempore* of the United States Senate** April 6, 1789–August 9, 1789	Succeeded by Richard Henry Lee
Preceded by Richard Henry Lee	*President pro tempore* of the United States Senate** November 5, 1792–December 2, 1793	Succeeded by Ralph Izard