Boyden, Nathaniel

Born: 1796-08-16 Conway, Massachusetts

Died: 1873-11-20 Salisbury, North Carolina

Boyden served in the War of 1812. After returning from the war, he attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, graduating in 1821. He moved to Stokes County, North Carolina in 1822. He taught school and studied law until he earned admittance to the bar and started practicing. Boyden won election to the North Carolina House of Commons in 1838 and 1840. He moved to Salisbury, North Carolina in 1842, where he continued to practice law. In 1844, he won election to the State Senate. In 1846, Boyden won election, as a Whig, to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1847-49, alongside Abraham Lincoln. He was not a candidate for renomination and returned to North Carolina where he resumed his law practice. He served as a member to the State constitutional convention in 1865.

Biographical Directory of the American Congress 1774-1996 (Alexandria, VA: CQ Staff Directories, 1997), 694; Gravestone, Old Lutheran Church Cemetery, Salisbury, NC.