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Higher Office(s) Served: Senator

JOHN LANGDON, a four-term governor (then called president) of New Hampshire, was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on June 26, 1741. His education was limited and attained at the Hale Latin Grammar School. Before entering into politics, he worked as a sea captain and merchant. Langdon favored independence from England and took an active part it the revolutionary movement. He participated in the capture of Fort William and Mary, as well as in the marches on Bennington and Rhode Island. Langdon first entered politics as a member of the House of Representatives of the last Royal Assembly of New Hampshire. He served as a member of the Continental Congress in 1775 and 1776, and was the state naval agent in the 1778 Congress. He also served as a member and speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, 1776 to 1782 and 1786 to 1787, and was a member of the New Hampshire State Senate from 1784 to 1785. Langdon was first elected president (governor) of New Hampshire in 1785, winning reelection in 1788, 1805, and 1810. Between his gubernatorial terms, he served as a delegate to the 1787 Federal Constitutional Convention, as well as serving again in the Continental Congress. He also served as a member and president of the U.S. Senate from 1789 to 1801, and was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1801 to 1805. After declining an 1812 vice presidential nomination, Langdon retired from political life. Governor John Langdon passed away on September 18, 1819, and was buried in the Langdon tomb in the North Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

* Langdon also served as governor from June 6, 1810 to June 5, 1812

Sources:

Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress

New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources

Notable Names Database

SeacoastNH.com

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.