Isaac Hill

Isaac Hill (April 6, 1788 – March 22, 1851) was an American politician, journalist, political commentator and newspaper editor who was a United States senator and the 16th governor of New Hampshire, serving two consecutive terms.

Biography Hill was born on April 6, 1788, in West Cambridge, Massachusetts, (now Belmont). Born into a relatively poor family, his parents were Isaac and Hannah (Russell). Their marriage brought nine children, with Isaac being the eldest of the siblings.

Hill, as a member of the Democratic Party, was a bitter political opponent of President John Quincy Adams, and supported the policies of President Andrew Jackson. A member of Jackson's informal "Kitchen Cabinet," Hill was the most avid proponent of the "spoils system" employed during Jackson's presidency. Hill supported John C. Calhoun during the 1844 presidential election.

Hill was publisher of the New Hampshire Patriot. Jacob Bailey Moore apprenticed under Hill and later married his sister Mary Adams Hill. The brothers-in-law had a difficult relationship due to their political differences, and Moore later worked for the competing New Hampshire Journal. Hill's caustic newspaper editorials were the source of much political controversy among political parties and cost him a nomination to the New Hampshire Senate, but he later was nominated and elected twice, serving 1820–1823 and 1827–1828. He later was nominated for the United States Senate and was elected in 1831. He resigned from the Senate when he was elected Governor of New Hampshire, serving 1836–1839, and chose not to run for re-election.

In the latter part of his life, Hill became active in other ventures including railroads, real estate, banking and manufacturing enterprises and became moderately wealthy and accumulated a considerable estate. He was active in the promotion of various agricultural improvements. In his last years, Hill suffered constantly from asthma. He died on March 22, 1851, in Washington, D.C., and was buried at Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord, New Hampshire. The town of Hill, New Hampshire, is named after him.

According to historian Joanne B. Freeman, "Hill revolutionized New Hampshire politics, helping set the stage for what would eventually become structured national political parties."