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Samuel Holten 1738-1816 Samuel Holten, who had the honor of becoming one of the presidents of the Continental Congress, was born in Danvers, Massachusetts, June 9, 1738. Having received a good education, he studied medicine, and then commenced the practice of his profession in his native town. He was a zealous Whig, and gave all his energy and ability to the cause of his country at the commencement of the struggle against British oppression. In 1778, Mr. Holten was elected a member of Congress, and he continued an active member of that august body for five years, serving for a time as its presiding officer. He then retired from prominent public positions and enjoyed an interval of repose.    In 1793, Mr. Holten was again elected a representative in Congress. In 1796 he was appointed judge of probate for the county of Essex, which office he resigned in 1815, after having been in public stations forty-seven years, a long period of patriotic and honorable service. He died in 1816, aged seventy-seven years. Mr. Holten was a man of high character and dignified bearing; rigidly faithful in the performance of his duties, and exacting the same strictness in keeping engagements from others. Source: Marshall, James V.. The United States Manual of Biography and History. Philadelphia: James B. Smith & Co., 1856. Pages 134-135.     Designed and Edited by John Vinci Last modified January 2, 2004