Honorable Theodore Medad Pomeroy
The Hon. Theodore Medad Pomeroy (1824-1905), born in Cayuga, NY to Rev. Medad Pomeroy and Lillian Maxwell, he moved with his family to Elbridge, NY where he studied at Munro Academy under Lemuel S. Pomeroy. A graduate of Hamilton College, Theodore came to Auburn to read law in the office of William H. Seward, later Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln. Theodore’s admittance to the New York State Bar came in 1846.
Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
His political career spanned over 30 years. Elected Auburn Clerk in 1847, and City Clerk in 1849 and 1850, he wrote the first free public education law adopted by the city. Later elected Cayuga County District Attorney (1850-1856); NYS Assembly (1857); U.S. House of Representatives (1861-1869); Auburn Mayor (1876-1876) and NYS Senator (1878-1879).
Pomeroy held a significant role with the Merchants Union Express Company as general counsel. By 1868 increasing debt forced an acquisition of this company by the American Merchants Union, today known as the American Express Company, co-founded via a merger of companies owned by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo, who also co-founded Wells Fargo & Company. Pomeroy remained with American Express as first vice president and general counsel.
Theodore and William H. Seward, Jr. married sisters, and were partners in the firm William H. Seward & Co. The couples owned adjacent homes on Owasco Lake. Theodore was a trustee of the Central Presbyterian Church from 1872 until his death in 1905. Harriet Tubman, a close friend of the family who cared for the Pomeroy children, attended his funeral. Only her flowers and notes were placed on his casket and buried with him.
Visit these links for more information on Theodore Medad Pomeroy:
Biographical Directory of the United State Congress
A Sketch of the Life of Theodore Medad Pomeroy, 1824-1905, by Robert W. Pomeroy
