Representative Nathaniel Holmes Odell - Contact Information

Nathaniel Holmes Odell (October 10, 1828 – October 30, 1904) was an American businessman and Democratic politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1875 to 1877. His congressional service occurred during a significant period in American history, in the decade following the Civil War, when he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his New York constituents in the Forty-fourth Congress.

Odell was born on October 10, 1828, in Greenburgh, near Tarrytown, New York. He was the son of Jonathan S. Odell (1793–1887) and Jane Tompkins Odell (1796–1887), members of a locally established family in Westchester County. He attended private schools in the area, including the Paulding Institute, receiving an education that prepared him for commercial and public life. After completing his schooling, he entered business at a young age, becoming a partner in the mercantile firm of Odell & Clark. At the same time, he became involved in his father’s steamboat operations on the North River (Hudson River), gaining experience in transportation and trade that would underpin his later ventures in finance and real estate.

Odell’s public career began at the local level in Greenburgh, where he held several town offices. He served as town clerk and as a justice of the peace, positions that gave him experience in municipal administration and local judicial matters. Building on this foundation, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, serving from 1857 to 1861. During these years in the state legislature, he participated in the governance of New York in the tense pre–Civil War period, aligning with the Democratic Party and helping to shape state policy at a time of growing national division.

In addition to his political work, Odell became a prominent figure in the financial life of Tarrytown. He established the First National Bank of Tarrytown and served as its cashier from 1862 to 1864, playing a central role in organizing and managing the institution during the Civil War era. His reputation for financial competence contributed to his election as treasurer of Westchester County in 1866. He was reelected to that office in 1869 and again in 1872, serving multiple terms and overseeing county finances during a period of growth and modernization in the region.

Odell advanced to national office when he was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth Congress, serving from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1877. Representing New York in the U.S. House of Representatives, he took part in the federal legislative process during the later years of Reconstruction, when issues of economic policy, civil rights, and reconciliation between North and South were prominent. He served one term and was not a candidate for renomination in 1876, returning instead to private pursuits after the expiration of his mandate.

Following his departure from Congress, Odell resumed and expanded his business activities. He returned to banking and also became active in the real estate business in and around Tarrytown, reflecting the continued development of Westchester County as a suburban and commercial area. In addition to his business interests, he held federal local office in the postal service. After serving for several years as assistant postmaster, he was appointed postmaster of Tarrytown, holding that position from 1887 to 1892 and again from 1894 to 1898. In these roles he oversaw local mail operations at a time when the postal service was a critical link in national communication and commerce.

Odell was also involved in fraternal and community life. He was a Freemason and a member of Solomon’s Lodge No. 196 in Tarrytown, an affiliation that reflected his standing in the local community and his participation in civic and charitable activities associated with the Masonic order. He continued to reside in Tarrytown for the remainder of his life, maintaining his ties to the town where he had been educated, conducted business, and held public office.

Nathaniel Holmes Odell died in Tarrytown, New York, on October 30, 1904. He was interred at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York, a burial place for many notable residents of the region. His life encompassed local, county, state, and national service, combining business leadership with a long record of public office in nineteenth-century New York.