John Sanford (1803–1857)

John Sanford
Rep. John Sanford, (D., N.Y.)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 15th district
In office March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843
Preceded by	Peter Joseph Wagner
Succeeded by	Lemuel Stetson
Personal details
Born	(1803-06-03)June 3, 1803 Roxbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	October 4, 1857(1857-10-04) (aged 54) Amsterdam, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Green Hill Cemetery, Amsterdam, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Relatives	Nehemiah Curtis Sanford (brother)

John Sanford (June 3, 1803 – October 4, 1857) was an American businessman and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1841 to 1843.

John Sanford was born in Roxbury, Connecticut. He was the second son of Sarah Curtis (1771–1856) and her husband Stephen Sandford I (1769–1848). His brother was Nehemiah Curtis Sanford, who was the father of Henry Shelton Sanford, the diplomat who founded the city of Sanford, Florida.

He moved to Amsterdam, New York, in 1821 where he taught school. He later taught in Mayfield and also engaged in mercantile pursuits there. He was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843). He returned to Amsterdam and founded a carpet mill but the factory was destroyed by fire in 1854, whereupon he retired from active business.

In 1822, he married Amsterdam native Mary Slack (1803–1888). They had three daughters and three sons:

• Sarah Caroline (1824–1871)
• Stephen (1826–1913)
• Nelson (1828–1848)
• David (1830–1885)
• Aledah (born 1833)
• Harriette (born 1836)

He died in Amsterdam in 1857 and was interred there in the Green Hill Cemetery.

His son Stephen served in Congress and operated the family carpet business, as did his grandson John Sanford II. Originally Sanford Carpet, the company merged with another manufacturer to become Bigelow-Sanford. Bigelow-Sanford later became part of Mohawk Industries, a maker of carpet and other flooring.

• United States Congress. "John Sanford (id: S000048)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• Schenectady Digital History Archive — a service of the Schenectady County Public Library

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress