Zabdiel Sampson  Zabdiel Sampson (August 22, 1781 – July 19, 1828) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. Sampson was born in Plympton, Massachusetts on August 22, 1781. He was the eldest of nine children born to George Sampson (1755–1826) and Hannah (née Cooper) Sampson (1761–1836), who married in 1780. His paternal aunt, Hannah Sampson, was married to his maternal uncle, Richard Cooper. His paternal grandfather, and namesake, was Zabdeil Sampson, who died in the Revolutionary War. As a young man during the American Revolutionary War, he apprenticed as a blacksmith. He later pursued classical studies and graduated from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in 1803. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1806. He first began practicing in Fairhaven, Massachusetts before returning to practice in Plymouth. Sampson first became involved in politics as a member of the Board of Selectmen for Plymouth. In 1816, he was elected as a Democratic-Republican to succeed Congressman William Baylies and represent Massachusetts's 8th congressional district in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Congresses and served from March 4, 1817, to July 26, 1820 when he resigned due to his appointment by President James Monroe as Collector of Customs at Plymouth on July 26, 1820, and served until his death. Sampson was a close friend of Daniel Webster. On October 18, 1804, Sampson was married to Ruth Lobdell (1784–1837), daughter of Captain Ebenezer and Judith Lobdell. Together, they were the parents of ten children, including:  Sampson died on July 19, 1828 in Plymouth. He was interred in Burial Hill Cemetery.