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Langdon was born in or around Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His father was a prosperous farmer and local politician, whose family had emigrated to America before 1660Events January 1 colonel George Monck with his regiment crosses from Scotland to England at the village of Coldstream and begins advance towards London in support of English Restoration February 2 George Monck and his regiment arrive in London February 23 and was among the first to settle near the mouth of Piscataqua RiverPortsmouth, New Hampshire The Piscataqua River is a river in the northeastern United States. It is a 12 mi (19 km) long tidal estuary formed by the confluence of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco rivers, and flows southeastward, forming part of the boundary be, a settlement which became Portsmouth, one of New EnglandThis article is about the region in the United States of America. For other uses, see New England (disambiguation . The New England region of the United States is located in the northeastern corner of the country. Boston is its business and cultural cente's major seaports. Langdon attended the local grammar school, run by a veteran of the 1745Events May 11 War of Austrian Succession: Battle of Fontenoy At Fontenoy, French forces defeat an Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian army including the Black Watch June 4 Frederick the Great destroys Austrian army at Hohenfriedberg August 19 Beginning of the '45 Jaco siegeA siege is a prolonged military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that refuses to surrender and cannot be easily taken by a frontal against the FrenchThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. at Fortress LouisbourgFortress Louisbourg (fr. Forteresse de Louisbourg is a Canadian National Historic Site and the location of a partial reconstruction of an 18th century French fortress at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. History French settlement on le Royale (now Cape Breton Isla in Canada. After finishing his primary education, Langdon served an apprenticeship as a clerk. He and his older brother, Woodbury, rejected the opportunity to join in their father's successful agricultural pursuits, and went to sea instead, apprenticed themselves to local naval merchants.
By age 22, Langdon was captain of a cargo ship sailing to the West Indies. Four years later he owned his first merchantman, and would continue over time to acquire a small fleet of vessels, engaged in the triangular trade between Portsmouth, the Caribbean, and London. His older brother was even more successful in international trade, and by 1770 both young men were among Portsmouth's wealthiest citizens.
British control of the shipping industries greatly hurt Langdomn's business, motivating him to become a vigorous and prominent supporter of the revolutionary movement in the 1770s. He served on the New Hampshire committee of correspondence and a nonimportation committee, and also attended various patriot assemblies. In 1774, he participated in the seizure and confiscation of British munitions from the Portsmouth fort.
Langdon served as a member of the First Continental Congress from 1775 to 1776. He resigned in June 1776 to become agent for the Continental forces against the British and superintended the construction of several warships. In 1777, he equipped an expedition against the British, participating in the Battle of Bennington and commanding a company at Saratoga and in Rhode Island.
Langdon was again a member of the Continental Congress in 1787 and became a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, serving as a member of the New Hampshire delegation. Langdon was elected to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1801. He was elected the first President pro tempore of the Senate on April 6, 1789, and also served as President pro tempore during the Second Congress.
Langdon later served as a member of the New Hampshire legislature ( 1801- 05), with the last two terms as Speaker; he served as Governor of New Hampshire from 1805- 11, with the exception of 1809. Langdon declined the nomination to be a candidate for Vice President in 1812, and later retired. He died in his hometown of Portsmouth in 1819, and was intered at the Langdon Tomb in the North Cemetery.