Alonzo Christopher Paige (July 31, 1797 — March 31, 1868) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Early life

On July 31, 1797, Paige was born in Schaghticoke,

Rensselaer County, New York Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the l ...

. Paige's father was Rev. Winslow Paige. Paige's mother was Clarissa (nee Keyes) Paige.

Education

In 1812, Paige graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

. Paige was sent by his father to Montgomery County to study theology. After some time, Paige returned to Schenectady and studied law instead.

Career

Paige was admitted to the bar in 1819. Paige was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Schenectady Co.) in

1827 Events January–March * January 5 – The first regatta in Australia is held, taking place on Tasmania (called at the time ''Van Diemen's Land''), on the River Derwent at Hobart. * January 15 – Furman University, founded in 1826, b ...

1828 Events January–March * January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France. * January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organized. * January 22 – Arthu ...

, 1829 and

1830 It is known in European history as a rather tumultuous year with the Revolutions of 1830 in France, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Italy. Events January–March * January 11 – LaGrange College (later the University of North Alabama) b ...

. In 1828, he was appointed as Reporter of the

New York Court of Chancery The New York Court of Chancery was the highest court in the State of New York from 1701 to 1847. History The New York Court of Chancery was established during the British colonial administration on August 28, 1701, with the colonial governor actin ...

, and published 11 volumes of chancery cases until 1845. Paige was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(3rd D.) in 1837, and from 1839 to 1842, sitting in the 60th, 62nd, 63rd, 64th and

65th New York State Legislature The 65th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to September 7, 1842, during the fourth year of William H. Seward's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the ...

s. He was a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

(4th D.) from 1847 to 1851, and from 1856 to 1857, and a delegate to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

of 1867–68. To undertake real estate development on Hamilton Hill, where the original African Cemetery was located, Paige purchased land for an African Section at

Vale Cemetery Vale Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery and the largest cemetery in Schenectady, New York. It opened on 21 October 1857 when the Rev. Julius Seely dedicated what was then termed "the Vale". It has tripled its size since opening and today it ...

. He had the burials re-interred in Vale Cemetery at his expense. This protected the graves, as others had disturbed them on the hill in seeking sandy soil for cement making.

Personal life

On July 11, 1832, Paige married Harriet Bowers Mumford. They had four children, Benjamin Mumford Paige (1834-1838, died at age 4), Clara Keyes Paige (1837-1894), Harriet Bowers Paige (1838-1895), and Edwards Winslow Paige (1844-1918). On March 31, 1867, Paige's wife died in

. On March 31, 1868, Paige died in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

. Paige was buried at the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in

References

Additional sources

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 131ff, 144, 206ff, 210, 295, 351 and 353; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
''The American Annual Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1868''
(Appleton's, 1869; pg. 608)
''History of the Reed Family in Europe and America''
by Jacob Whittemore Reed (Boston, 1861; pg. 120f)

External links

*

Martin Van Buren to Alonzo Christopher Paige discussing slavery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paige, Alonzo C. 1797 births 1868 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators People from Schaghticoke, New York Politicians from Schenectady, New York Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Williams College alumni New York Supreme Court Justices 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges