Background
Gurley was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, and attended Williams College.
United States representative politician
Gurley was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, and attended Williams College.
He served four terms in three different parties. He was first elected to Congress as an Adams-Clay Republican, then served two terms as an Adams candidate, and finally served one term as an anti-Jacksonian. A collection of Gurley"s papers between 1815 and 1831 is located in the Tulane University Special Collections.
Gurley served as a district judge in Louisiana following his term in Congress.
Gurley married Lucy Goodwin of Boston, Massachusetts, on July 1, 1810. She died in January 1830.
The couple had eight children—4 boys and 4 girls. Gurley"s brother, John Ward Gurley, served as the Territory of Orleans attorney general in 1803.