Diedrich Willers Jr. (November 3, 1833 – June 25, 1908) was a Democratic politician from Varick,

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 * '' ...

who served as

Secretary of State of New York The secretary of state of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York who leads the New York State Department of State, Department of State (NYSDOS). The current secretary of state of New York ...

. Born to a working class German immigrant family, his political fortune was a notable example of the effect of civil service reform.

Early life

Born in rural

Varick, New York Varick is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 1,639 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Richard Varick, an officer in the American Revolution, mayor of New York City, and uncle of the first Town Supervis ...

, he was the sixth of eight children of Reverend Diedrich Willers

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

(1798–1883), an immigrant from

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. His father fought in the

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ian army in the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

in 1815, immigrated to

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in 1819, and began preaching to various

Seneca County, New York Seneca County is located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,814. The county seat is Waterloo. It became a one county in 1822, which currently remains in effect and uses one locations as county seats a ...

congregations in 1821, and was also notable as a critic of

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. His mother was born in

New Holland, Pennsylvania New Holland (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Seischwamm'') is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,762, up from 5,378 in the 2010 census. History New Holland was settled in 1728 by brothers John Michae ...

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stock. Willers' early life was one of toil; he divided his time between working on the family farm in the summers and attending district school in the winter. With the exception of two terms at the Seneca Falls Academy, he had no schooling other than district school. He began teaching at the district school at age 16, and at age 22 entered the printing business, but was forced to abandon that pursuit due to ill health.

Political career

He was destined by his father for the ministry, but took an early interest in politics. Having managed to obtain at intervals a law degree from

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at A ...

, he was admitted to the bar, but never actively practiced as an attorney. By the age of 21, Willers was a Hard-Shell

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, supporting the election of

Greene C. Bronson Greene Carrier Bronson (November 17, 1789 in Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut – September 3, 1863 in Saratoga, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life He was the son of Oliver Bronson (1746–1815, a music tea ...

for governor in 1854. He was appointed to a clerkship in

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Gideon J. Tucker Gideon John Tucker (February 10, 1826 – July 1899) was an American lawyer, newspaper editor and politician. In 1866, as Surrogate of New York County, he wrote in a decision on a legal malpractice claim against a deceased lawyer's estate: "No ma ...

's office in 1857, and held this position during the succeeding terms of

David R. Floyd-Jones David Richard Floyd-Jones (April 6, 1813 – January 8, 1871) was an American lawyer and politician. Early life A descendant of an old Long Island family, he was born at the family mansion on the Fort Neck estate in South Oyster Bay, New York ( ...

and Horatio Ballard until 1863, when Governor

Horatio Seymour Horatio Seymour (May 31, 1810February 12, 1886) was an American politician. He served as Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president in the 1868 United States presidential elec ...

appointed him as his personal secretary. He later returned to farming in Varick, where he was chairman of the board of supervisors in 1865 and 1866. In March 1867, Willers was appointed by President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

as Second Auditor of the Treasury, for which he went to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, but he returned to

upon the success of the Democrats in the 1867 state elections, resulting in his appointment as Deputy Secretary of State. He was the Democratic candidate for Secretary of State in

1871 Events January–March * January 3 – Franco-Prussian War – Battle of Bapaume: Prussians win a strategic victory. * January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...

despite the objections of nearly all of the older or managing party politicians, but lost the election in a down year for the Democrats. He was again nominated in

1873 Events January–March * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat ...

, and this time won, serving from 1874 to 1875. He 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 ...

(Seneca Co.) in

1878 Events January–March * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Battle o ...

. He was Deputy Secretary of State under

Frederick Cook Frederick Albert Cook (June 10, 1865 – August 5, 1940) was an American explorer, physician, and ethnographer who claimed to have reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908. That was nearly a year before Robert Peary, who similarly claime ...

, retiring at the end of 1889, and there was talk of nominating Willers for Secretary of State again, but he declined due to declining health. He died in

on June 25, 1908.

References

External links

Guide to the Willers Family Papers, 1820-1908
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willers, Diedrich Jr. 1833 births 1908 deaths Secretaries of State of New York (state) People from Seneca County, New York Members of the New York State Assembly 19th-century American politicians