Background
Hervey Calkin was born in Malden, New York on March 23, 1828.
United States representative politician
Hervey Calkin was born in Malden, New York on March 23, 1828.
He was educated locally, and moved to New York City in 1847.
Calkin was employed in the Morgan Iron Works for five years. He also sold other metalware, including stoves and tinware. Calkin also became an advocate for the creation of a domestic shipbuilding industry, as opposed to buying ships from England.
He was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-first Congress and served from (March 4, 1869-March 3, 1871).
He was not a candidate for reelection in 1870. After leaving Congress, Calkin resumed his former business pursuits in New York City until retiring in 1904.
In 1871 he received a patent for a life raft made of two cylindrical metal floats with conical ends and a plank deck. He died in the Bronx on April 20, 1913 and was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery.