Jonathan Cilley

Jonathan Cilley
Jonathan Cilley, U.S Congressman, circa 1838
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 3rd district
In office March 4, 1837 – February 24, 1838
Preceded by	Jeremiah Bailey
Member of the Maine House of Representatives
In office 1831-1836
Personal details
Born	July 2, 1802 Nottingham, New Hampshire, USA
Died	February 24, 1838 (aged 35) Bladensburg, Md., USA
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Deborah Prince Cilley
Alma mater	Bowdoin College
Profession	Lawyer Newspaper editor

Jonathan Cilley (July 2, 1802 – February 24, 1838) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine. He served part of one term in the 25th Congress. Cilley died during his term as the result of a wound sustained in a duel with another Congressman, William J. Graves of Kentucky.

Jonathan Cilley was born in Nottingham, New Hampshire, and was the son of Greenleaf Cilley, brother of Joseph Cilley, grandson of Major General Joseph Cilley, and nephew of Bradbury Cilley.

Cilley attended Bowdoin College and was a member of the famed class of 1825, which included future literary giants Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. While at Bowdoin, Cilley also became close friends with future U.S. President Franklin Pierce, a member of the class of 1824. Deciding to stay in Maine after graduating from Bowdoin, Cilley studied law with John Ruggles, was admitted to the bar in 1828, and practiced in Thomaston.

In 1829, Jonathan Cilley married Deborah Prince, the daughter of local businessman Hezekiah Prince. Jonathan and Deborah had five children, two of whom died very young. Their surviving children were Greenleaf (b. 1829), Jonathan Prince (b. 1835), and Julia (b. 1837). Jonathan Prince Cilley became a Brevetted Brigadier General in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Cilley edited the Thomaston Register from 1829–1831 and represented Thomaston in the Maine House of Representatives from 1831–1836, serving as Speaker in his final two years. He was then elected to the United States Congress, but did not complete his first term.