Henry Chapman (American politician)
| Henry Chapman | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 7th district |
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In office March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859 |
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| Preceded by | Samuel C. Bradshaw |
| Succeeded by | Henry C. Longnecker |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 4, 1804 Newtown, Pennsylvania |
| Died | April 11, 1891 (aged 87) Doylestown, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic |
Henry Chapman (February 4, 1804 – April 11, 1891) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Henry Chapman was born in Newtown, Pennsylvania, the son of Abraham Chapman, a lawyer, and Elizabeth Meredith, the daughter of a lawyer. He attended Doylestown Academy and Doctor Gummere’s private boys’ school near Burlington, New Jersey. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1825 and commenced practice in Doylestown. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1843. He was a judge of the fifteenth judicial district from 1845 to 1849.
Chapman was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-fifth Congress. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1858. He served as judge of the Bucks County Court in 1861. He retired in 1871. He died at “Frosterley,” near Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Interment in the graveyard of Doylestown Presbyterian Church.
In 1844, he built the James-Lorah House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Chapman's first wife was Rebecca Stewart (1800–1837). Their children were Elizabeth, Mary Rebecca, Henry A., and Thomas Stewart. Elizabeth married the diplomat Colonel Timothy Bigelow Lawrence, son of the extremely wealthy Abbott Lawrence. Mary Rebecca married William Robert Mercer, son of Colonel John Francis Mercer, son of former Maryland governor John Francis Mercer. Upon Lawrence's early death, the childless Elizabeth inherited and moved in with the Mercer family, lavishly supporting their children, especially Henry Chapman Mercer who became her travelling companion.
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