Guy R. Pelton

Guy Ray Pelton (August 3, 1824 – July 24, 1890) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served as a U.S. Representative to the 34th United States Congress (1855 to 1857).

Guy R. Pelton
From 1892's Genealogy of the Pelton Family in America
Member of the United States House of Representatives
In office March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857
Preceded by	Hiram Walbridge
Succeeded by	Daniel Sickles
Constituency	New York's 3rd congressional district
Personal details
Born	(1824-08-03)August 3, 1824 Great Barrington, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	July 24, 1890(1890-07-24) (aged 65) Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, U.S.
Resting place	Mahaiwe Cemetery, Great Barrington, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Whig
Other political affiliations	Republican (from 1856)
Spouse(s)	Mary Childs Franklin (m. 1859) Angelina Scoville (m. 1879)
Children	1
Education	Oberlin College (attended)
Profession	Attorney

Biography

Pelton was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on August 3, 1824, the second son of Joseph Kneeland Pelton and Harriet Ray.^[1][2] He attended the public schools, the Sedgwick Institution in Great Barrington, and the Connecticut Literary Institute in Suffield, Connecticut.^[1] He later attended Oberlin College, after which he studied law in Kinderhook, New York, was admitted to the bar in 1851, and commenced practice in New York City with his older brother, Timothy Dwight Pelton^[1][2] He was a member of the Union League Club and Freemasons, and was active in business ventures including a rubber manufacturing company.^[2]

A Whig, in 1854 Pelton was elected to the Thirty-fourth Congress, March 4, 1855 to March 3, 1857.^[1] During his term, Pelton was a member of the Committee on Commerce.^[2] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1856.^[1]

Pelton died while climbing Mary Mountain in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming on July 24, 1890; he had visited the park while en route to his home in Massachusetts after a trip to Alaska.^[3] He was buried at Mahaiwe Cemetery in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.^[4]

Family

In 1859, Pelton married Mary Childs Franklin, who died in 1866.^[2] In 1879, he married Angelina Scoville.^[2] With his first wife, Pelton was the father of a son, Franklin Dwight Pelton.^[2]