Jacob Collamer, an American senator, born at Troy, N. Y., in 1792, died at Woodstock, Vt., Nov. 9, 1865. He was a son of Samuel Collamer, who was a native of Scituate, Mass., and a soldier of the revolution. In childhood the family removed to Burlington, Vt., and Jacob graduated at the university of Vermont in 1810. He studied law at St. Albans, and was admitted to the bar in 1812, after which he made the frontier campaign as a lieutenant of artillery in the detached militia in the United States service. He accomplished his course of preparatory, collegiate, and professional studies without any other pecuniary means than such as his own industry supplied. Until 1833 he practised law in Washington, Orange, and Windsor counties, commencing at Barre. In 1821, '22, '27, and '28 he represented the town of Royalton in the general assembly. In 1833 he was elected an associate justice of the supreme court of Vermont, and was continued on the bench till 1841, when he declined a reelection. In 1842 he was chosen a member of congress, and was reelected in 1844 and 1846, but in 1848 declined to be again a candidate.

In October, 1848, the whig party of Vermont formally recommended him through a legislative caucus for a cabinet appointment, and on March 7, 1849, he was appointed postmaster general by President Taylor, in which office he continued till July 20, 1850. On Nov. 8, 1850, he was elected judge of the supreme court, and was annually reelected until Oct. 14, 1854, when he was elected United States senator. He continued in that office until his death, and served as chairman of the committee on post offices and post roads and on that of the library. The degree of LL. D. was conferred upon him by the university of Vermont and by Dartmouth college.