Caleb Heathcote (March 6, 1665 – February 28, 1721) served as the 31st
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
from 1711 to 1713.
Early life
Heathcote was born on March 6, 1665, in his father's house in Chesterfield in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Caleb was the sixth son of nine children of the former Ann Chase Dickens and Gilbert Heathcote (d. 1690).
He is related to the
Heathcote baronets
There have been two baronetcies created for people with the surname Heathcote, both in the Baronetage of Great Britain and both created in 1733. The holders of the first creation were later elevated to the peerage as Baron Aveland and Earl of Ancas ...
through two brothers: his eldest brother was
Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1st Baronet
Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1st Baronet (2 January 1652 – 25 January 1733), was a British merchant and Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1701 and 1733. He was a Governor of the Bank of England and was L ...
of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
; another brother, Samuel, was the father of
Sir William Heathcote, 1st Baronet
Sir William Heathcote, 1st Baronet (15 March 1693 – 10 May 1751), of Hursley, Hampshire, was a British merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1722 and 1741.
Heathcote was the second son of Samuel Heathcote, Esq., of Hac ...
of
Hursley
Hursley is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England with a population of around 900 in 2011. It is located roughly midway between Romsey and Winchester on the A3090. Besides the village the parish includes the hamlets of Standon and ...
.
Career
In 1691, Heathcote traveled to America from England. He became a property owner quickly and in 1696, he created the borough town of
Westchester
Westchester most commonly refers to Westchester County, New York, immediately north of New York City.
__NOTOC__
It may also refer to: Geography Canada
*Westchester Station, Nova Scotia, Canada
United States
*Town of Westchester, the original seat ...
. In 1697, he purchased the rights to
Mamaroneck
Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States.
The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of M ...
and Scarsdale from Ann Richbell and, in 1701, he was "instrumental in having erected the Manor of Scarsdale."
From 1711 to 1713, while his elder brother Gilbert was serving as
Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...
, Heathcote served as the 31st
mayor of New York City
The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...
under
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Robert Hunter during the reign of
Queen Anne. During the reign of
George I George I or 1 may refer to:
People
* Patriarch George I of Alexandria ( fl. 621–631)
* George I of Constantinople (d. 686)
* George I of Antioch (d. 790)
* George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9)
* George I of Georgia (d. 1027)
* Yuri Dolgoruk ...
, Heathcote served as
Surveyor General of His Majesty's Customs for the Eastern District of North America. He also served as judge of the
Court of Admiralty
Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offences.
Admiralty courts in the United Kingdom England and Wales
Scotland
The Scottish court's earliest ...
for the
Provinces of New York,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
and
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
and one of His Majesty's Council for the Province of New York.
His estate in
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
, is the site of the present-day town of
Scarsdale (named after
Sutton Scarsdale
Sutton Scarsdale is a village in Derbyshire, England. It is in the North East Derbyshire district. It is very close to the M1 motorway. It is in the civil parish of Sutton cum Duckmanton.
The settlement is notable for a large, ruined former st ...
, his ancestral home in Derbyshire) and was granted on March 21, 1701, or 1702 by
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...
John Nanfan
John Nanfan (1634–1716) was a Lieutenant Governor of the Province of New York from 1698 to 1702. He served as acting governor for about a year between the death of the Earl of Bellomont and the arrival of Bellomont's successor, Lord Cornbury. ...
.
Nine Partners Patent
![Great Nine Partners Patent](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Great_Nine_Partners_Patent.jpg)
On May 27, 1697, Heathcote as one of nine partners in a
land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
in
Dutchess County
Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organ ...
in New York by Governor
Benjamin Fletcher
Benjamin Fletcher (14 May 1640 – 28 May 1703) was colonial governor of New York from 1692 to 1697. Fletcher was known for the ''Ministry Act'' of 1693, which secured the place of Anglicans as the official religion in New York. He also built ...
known as the
Great Nine Partners Patent
The Great Nine Partners Patent, also known as the "Lower Nine Partners Patent," was a land grant in Dutchess County, New York, made on May 27, 1697, by New York governor Benjamin Fletcher.
The parcel included about along the Hudson River and ...
.
The parcel included about along the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
and was believed to be wide, extending in theory to the Connecticut border.
Personal life
Caleb married Martha Smith (1681–1736), daughter of
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
William "Tangier" Smith
William "Tangier" Smith (February 2, 1655 – February 18, 1705) was a governor of Tangier, on the coast of Morocco, and an early settler of New York who owned more than of Atlantic Ocean waterfront property in central Long Island in New York Stat ...
,
Chief Justice of
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
* '' ...
. Together, Martha and Caleb had six children, three of which died young (William, Mary and Elizabeth). Their surviving children included:
* Gilbert Heatcote, who died aged twenty of
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
while in England completing his education.
* Anne Heathcote (1706–1778), who married
James DeLancey
James De Lancey (November 27, 1703 – July 30, 1760) served as chief justice, lieutenant governor, and acting colonial governor of the Province of New York.
Early life and education
De Lancey was born in New York City on November 27, 170 ...
(1703–1760), a son of
Stephen Delancey and Anne Van Cortlandt (daughter of
Stephanus Van Cortlandt
Stephanus van Cortlandt (May 7, 1643 – November 25, 1700) was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor's ...
), in 1729.
* Martha Heathcote, who married Lewis Johnston, son of
John Johnstone of
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,4 ...
, and brother of
Andrew Johnston (who married Catharine Van Cortlandt).
Heathcote died suddenly of
apoplexy
Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on February 28, 1721. He was buried in the
churchyard
In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...
of
Trinity Church in Manhattan, which he was instrumental in founding. As both of his sons and three of his daughters predeceased him, his entire estate, real and personal, was inherited by his two surviving daughters. His widow died on August 18, 1736, and was buried alongside him and three of their children at Trinity.
Descendants
Through his youngest surviving daughter, he was a grandfather of Margaret Johnston and Anne Johnston, who married William Burnet, only son of Gov.
William Burnet and a grandson of
George Stanhope
George Stanhope (5 March 1660 – 18 March 1728) was a clergyman of the Church of England, rising to be Dean of Canterbury and a Royal Chaplain. He was also amongst the commissioners responsible for the building of fifty new churches in Lond ...
,
Dean of Canterbury
The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The current office of Dean originated after the English Reformation, although Deans had also existed before this time; its immediate precur ...
. Margaret Johnston was married to
Bowes Reed
Bowes Reed (November 1740 – July 20, 1794) was a Revolutionary officer, politician, and public servant from New Jersey. He was the brother of Joseph Reed, a member of the Continental Congress and President of the Supreme Executive Council ...
, the
Secretary of State of New Jersey
The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as we ...
.
Legacy
A neighborhood and an elementary school in present-day
Scarsdale, New York are named after Heathcote. A marble statue of him stands atop the
Surrogate's Courthouse
The Surrogate's Courthouse (also the Hall of Records and 31 Chambers Street) is a historic building at the northwest corner of Chambers and Centre Streets in the Civic Center of Manhattan in New York City. Completed in 1907, it was design ...
(former Hall of Records) at 31 Chambers Street in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
[Fox, Dixon Ryan, ''Caleb Heathcote, Gentleman Colonist,'' New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1926.]
See also
*
Heathcote (surname) Heathcote is a surname rooted in English topography which literally means "Heath Cottage". The location in Derbyshire was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Hedcote", and as "Hethcote" in 1244. The location in Warwickshire appears is ...
References
External links
Stirnet: 'Heathcote01'(Caleb is near the bottom of the page)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heathcote, Caleb
1665 births
1721 deaths
Caleb
Caleb (), sometimes transliterated as Kaleb ( he, כָּלֵב, ''Kalev'', ; Tiberian vocalization: Kālēḇ; Hebrew Academy: Kalev), is a figure who appears in the Hebrew Bible as a representative of the Tribe of Judah during the Israelites' ...
Mayors of New York City
People from Scarsdale, New York
Members of the New York General Assembly