Jacob Collamer

Jacob Collamer
United States Senator
from Vermont
In office
March 4, 1855 – November 9, 1865
Preceded byLawrence Brainerd
Succeeded byLuke P. Poland
Judge of the Vermont Circuit Court
In office
1850–1854
Preceded bySeat established
Succeeded byAbel Underwood
13th United States Postmaster General
In office
March 8, 1849 – July 22, 1850
PresidentZachary Taylor
Millard Fillmore
Preceded byCave Johnson
Succeeded byNathan K. Hall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Vermont's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849
Preceded byWilliam Slade
Succeeded byWilliam Hebard
Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
In office
1833–1842
Preceded byNicholas Baylies
Succeeded byWilliam Hebard
State's Attorney of Windsor County
In office
1820–1824
Preceded byAsa Aikens
Succeeded byIsaac Cushman
Personal details
Born(1791-01-08)January 8, 1791
Troy, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 9, 1865(1865-11-09) (aged 74)
Woodstock, Vermont, U.S.
Political partyWhig (Before 1854)
Republican (1854–1865)
SpouseMary Stone
Children7
EducationUniversity of Vermont (AM)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceVermont Militia
Years of service1812–1815
RankFirst Lieutenant
Unit4th Regiment, Vermont Detached Militia Brigade
2nd Brigade, 4th Division
Battles/warsWar of 1812

Jacob Collamer (January 8, 1791 – November 9, 1865) was an American politician from Vermont. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives, as Postmaster General in the cabinet of President Zachary Taylor, and as a U.S. Senator.

Born in Troy, New York, and raised in Burlington, Vermont, Collamer graduated from the University of Vermont, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1813. After service in the militia during the War of 1812, he became active as an attorney, first in Royalton, and then in Woodstock. Highly regarded in the legal profession, he became a respected prosecutor, legislator, and judge.

Elected to the House of Representatives in 1842, Collamer became a prominent Whig leader and advocate of the anti-slavery cause. President Taylor selected Collamer to serve as Postmaster General following the 1848 presidential election. Collamer served until shortly after Taylor's death when he resigned to allow Taylor's successor, Millard Fillmore, to name his own appointee.

Collamer was elected to the Senate as a Republican in 1855, shortly after the formation of the new party. He became a respected voice against slavery and a prominent supporter of the Lincoln administration during the American Civil War. An advocate of more stringent postwar Reconstruction measures than those that were favored by Lincoln and his successor, Andrew Johnson, Collamer advocated congressional control of the Reconstruction process. He died in Woodstock and was buried at River Street Cemetery in Woodstock.