Chester William CHAPIN, Congress, MA (1798-1883)

CHAPIN, Chester William, a Representative from Massachusetts; born in Ludlow, Mass., December 16, 1798; attended the common schools and Westfield Academy, Westfield, Mass.; engaged in mercantile pursuits; mail contractor, running post coaches and steamboats; member of the constitutional convention of Massachusetts in 1853; president and director of the Western Railroad Corporation 1854-1867; president of the Boston & Albany Railroad Co. 1868-1878, and one of the directors 1868-1880; elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1875-March 3, 1877); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1876 to the Forty-fifth Congress; died in Springfield, Hampden County, Mass., on June 10, 1883; interment in Springfield Cemetery.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present