Erastus Sabinus Prosser (September 2, 1809 – May 11, 1888) was an American politician from New York.

Early life

Prosser was born on September 2, 1809, in the area which was separated as the Town of

Westerlo Westerlo () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises seven towns: * Westerlo centrum * * Tongerlo * Heultje * Voortkapel * Oosterwijk * In 2021, Westerlo had a total population of 25,288. The ...

Albany County, New York Albany County ( ) is a county in the state of New York, United States. Its northern border is formed by the Mohawk River, at its confluence with the Hudson River, which is to the east. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 3 ...

in 1815. His father was a physician with a country practice. At an early age he removed to

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

, and served as a clerk in the forwarding house of Dows & Cary there.

Career

In 1845, Prosser moved to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, and continued his business there until about 1858 when he retired. He remained involved in canal matters, including the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

, throughout his life. Prosser entered politics as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, but his "Anti-slavery proclivities led him into the support of Mr. Van Buren for the Presidency" and he joined the

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into ...

in 1848, and the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

upon its foundation in 1855. He 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 ...

(31st D.) from 1859 to 1861, sitting in the 82nd, 83rd and

84th New York State Legislature The 84th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to April 16, 1861, during the third year of Edwin D. Morgan's governorship, in Albany, New York, Albany. Background ...

s. He was 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 to 1868.

Personal life

Prosser was married three times and in 1877 was sued by Anna A. Hickey, a woman who claimed he proposed but refused to marry her. In 1834, he married Lucy Wilbur, and they had four children, including: * Henry Wilbur Prosser, who married Anna Fay. * Ms. Prosser, who married John Armstrong of New York. * Harriet Prosser (1836–1909), who married to Chief Judge

William C. Ruger William Crawford Ruger (January 30, 1824 Bridgewater, Oneida County, New York – January 14, 1892 Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from ...

. * Anna Weed Prosser (1846–1902), who did not marry but adopted three children; she was involved in the Divine Healing Movement of the late 1800s with Carrie Judd Montgomery. After the death of his first wife, he married Kate Muldary, a native of

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. They lived at 786 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo. In 1880, Kate committed suicide by jumping from the roof of a five-story tenement at 430 East 14th Street in New York City. He married, thirdly, to Mary A. Finnegan of Buffalo. Prosser died in Buffalo on May 11, 1888. He was buried at the

Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo Forest Lawn Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Buffalo, New York, founded in 1849 by Charles E. Clarke. It covers over and over 152,000 are buried there, including U.S. President Millard Fillmore, First Lady Abigail Fillmore, singer Rick J ...

Descendants

Through his son Henry, he was a grandfather of the banker and philanthropist

Seward Prosser Seward Prosser (March 1, 1871 – October 1, 1942) was an American banker and philanthropist who served as the head of Bankers Trust. Early life Prosser was born in Buffalo, New York on March 1, 1871. He was a son of Henry Wilbur Prosser and Anna ...

(1871–1942), who served as the head of

Bankers Trust Bankers Trust was a historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons in 1997 before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1999. Deutsche Bank sold the Trust and Custody division of Bankers Trust to State Street Corpor ...

References

External links

*
His house
(demolished 1911) {{DEFAULTSORT:Prosser, Erastus S 1809 births 1888 deaths New York (state) state senators Politicians from Buffalo, New York Politicians from Albany, New York New York (state) Republicans Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) New York (state) Democrats New York (state) Free Soilers People from Westerlo, New York