Major Eleazer Lusher (died 1672[1]) was a politician and military leader from Dedham, Massachusetts.
Political career edit
Lusher had unmatched political influence in Dedham and was one of the most powerful men in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.[2] He was one of ten men, constituting five percent of the adult male population, who were reelected so many times to Dedham's seven-member Board of Selectmen that they filled sixty percent of the seats between 1639 and 1687.[3] He served 29 one-year terms in total.[4][5] He was town clerk for 23 years, having first been elected in 1641.[6]
Lusher was also a signer of the Dedham Covenant.
Between the years of 1650 and 1685, Lusher was one of three men elected to serve in the Massachusetts General Court.[7] Additionally, he served on the Massachusetts Council of Assistants from 1663 to 1673.[7] Other positions include being a diplomat, judge, and mediator.[7] He was also on the commission that established the Angle Tree Stone.[8] He led a trainband.[9]
In recognition of his service, he was awarded 500 acres of land near Sudbury, Massachusetts in 1666.[10]
Personal life edit
Lusher, along with Joshua Fisher, owned a saw mill on the Neponset River that is depicted on the seal of the Town of Walpole, Massachusetts.[11][12] Lusher was one of the eight establishing members of the First Church and Parish in Dedham.[13]
Had he wished, Lusher "could have made a fortune" by exploiting the connections he made in the colonial government, as many others did.[2] When he died he had a comfortable estate of 500 pounds but was not overwhelming wealthy.[2] He is buried in the Old Village Cemetery[14] in the tomb of Timothy Dwight.[15]
References edit
- ^ Lockridge 1985, p. 84.
- ^ a b c Lockridge 1985, p. 62.
- ^ Lockridge 1985, pp. 42–43.
- ^ Worthington 1827, p. 79-81.
- ^ Lockridge 1985, p. 125.
- ^ Worthington 1827, pp. 79.
- ^ a b c Lockridge 1985, p. 45.
- ^ Stetson, Nelson M. A Sketch of Cornet Robert Stetson (first ed.). University of California Libraries: The Stetson Kindred of America, Inc. p. 152.
- ^ History, Charter and By-laws: List of Officers and Members Together with a Record of the Service Performed by Their Ancestors in the Wars of the Colonies. Society of Colonial Wars, Illinois. 1897. p. 59. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- ^ Smith 1936, pp. 11–12.
- ^ "History of Walpole, Massachusetts, 1635−". Walpole Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
- ^ Greaves, Maude. "History of Walpole". Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ Lockridge 1985, p. 29.
- ^ Smith 1936, p. 144.
- ^ Smith 1936, p. 147.
Works cited edit
- Lockridge, Kenneth (1985). A New England Town. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-95459-3.
- Smith, Frank (1936). A History of Dedham, Massachusetts. Transcript Press, Incorporated. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- Worthington, Erastus (1827). The history of Dedham: from the beginning of its settlement, in September 1635, to May 1827. Dutton and Wentworth. Retrieved November 8, 2019.