Henry May (February 13, 1816 – September 25, 1866) was a U.S. Representative from Maryland.
Contents
Early life
May was born in Washington, D.C., on February 13, 1816. He was a son of Dr. Frederick May (1773–1847) and Juliana Mathilda (née Slacum) May (1793–1822). His siblings included John Frederick May, William May, Julia Matilda (née May) Oelrichs (mother of Hermann Oelrichs, Charles May Oelrichs and Lucie Oelrichs Jay), Laura (née May) Wise (the wife of Gen. George D. Wise), and Julian S. May. His father, who was born in Boston, was a medical doctor who spent nearly the last fifty years of his life practicing in Washington.
His paternal grandparents were Abigail (née May) May and Col. John May, who participated in the Boston Tea Party and became a prominent soldier in the American Revolutionary War.
He attended Columbian College (later George Washington University), also in Washington, D.C. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1840, and commenced practice.
Career
In 1850, May was sent by President Franklin Pierce to Mexico to investigate claims under the United States' treaty of peace with Mexico. He moved to Baltimore, Maryland. In 1852, May was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress, serving one term from March 4, 1853 to March 3, 1855. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1854 to the Thirty-fourth Congress, but was elected as a Unionist to the Thirty-seventh Congress, serving from March 4, 1861 to March 3, 1863.