Abner Hazeltine | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Commissioner of Courts for the Northern District of New York | |
| In office 1873–1879 | |
| Preceded by | Gustavus A. Scroggs |
| Succeeded by | Abner Hazeltine Jr. |
| Special Judge of the Chautauqua County, New York Court | |
| In office 1873–1874 | |
| Preceded by | Philip S. Cottle |
| Succeeded by | John J. Kinney |
| Judge of the Chautauqua County, New York Court | |
| In office 1859–1863 | |
| Preceded by | Selden Marvin |
| Succeeded by | Orsell Cook |
| District Attorney of Chataqua County, New York | |
| In office 1847–1850 | |
| Preceded by | David Mann |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Sherman |
| Member of the United States House of Representatives | |
| In office March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Richard P. Marvin |
| Constituency | New York's 31st congressional district |
| Member of the New York State Assembly | |
| In office January 1, 1829 – December 31, 1830 Serving with Nathan Mixer (1829), Squire White (1830) | |
| Preceded by | Nathaniel Fenton, Nathan Mixer |
| Succeeded by | Squire White, John Birdsall |
| Constituency | Chautauqua County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 10, 1793 Wardsboro, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | December 20, 1879 (aged 86) Jamestown, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Lake View Cemetery, Jamestown, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Other political affiliations | Anti-Masonic Anti-Jacksonian Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Polly Kidder (m. 1819) Matilda Hayward (m. 1834) |
| Children | 7 |
| Education | Williams College |
| Profession | Attorney |
Abner Hazeltine (June 10, 1793 – December 20, 1879) was an attorney, politician, and judge from New York. In addition to a long career practicing law in Jamestown, he served as a member of the New York State Assembly, district attorney and judge of Chautauqua County, and a member of the United States House of Representatives. After attaining admission to the bar in 1819, he practiced continually for 60 years, and was still active when he died at age 86.
A native of Wardsboro, Vermont, Hazeltine attended the local schools, studied with a tutor, then began attendance at Williams College, from which he graduated in 1815. He settled in Jamestown, New York, where he was a founder of Jamestown Academy, where he taught for several years while he studied law with two local attorneys. After joining the bar, he resided briefly in Warren, Pennsylvania before returning to Jamestown.
Opposed to slavery, Hazeltine changed his party affiliation several times in the early to mid 1800s as the abolition movement grew, including joining the Anti-Masonic, Anti-Jacksonian, and Whig Parties. When the Republican Party was founded in the mid 1850s as the main anti-slavery party, Hazeltine became an early adherent.
Hazeltine served in legislative and judicial posts throughout his life. He was a member of the state Assembly for two terms, 1829 to 1830, and a member of the U.S. House for two terms, 1833 to 1837. He served as Chautauqua County's district attorney from 1847 to 1850. From 1859 to 1863, Hazeltine was judge of the Chautauqua County Court, and he was a special judge of the county court from 1873 to 1874. From 1873 until his death, Hazeltine served as U.S. Commissioner of Courts for the Northern District of New York. He died in Jamestown on December 20, 1879 and was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Jamestown.