Farrand Stranahan (1778 in

Canaan Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...

, Columbia County, New York – October 22, 1826 in

Cooperstown Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...

Otsego County, New York Otsego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,524. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name ''Otsego'' is from a Mohawk or Oneida word meaning "place of the rock." History In 178 ...

) was an American lawyer and politician 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 * '' ...

Life

He was the son of John Stranahan and Lucy (Buck) Stranahan. In 1801, he removed to Cooperstown, and practiced law there. In 1803, he formed a partnership with Richard Fenimore Cooper, the oldest son of Judge William Cooper. Judge Cooper had founded the Village of Cooperstown and the Coopers remained the largest land-owners in the area. Stranahan thus was put in charge of the legal business deriving from the land-holdings, like collecting debts and foreclosing mortgages. The partnership was dissolved in January 1807 over a political disagreement. In 1807, the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

in New York was split in two factions: the "Lewisites" (supporters of the incumbent Governor Morgan Lewis); and the "Clintonians" (supporters of

DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and naturalist. He served as a United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the seventh governor of New York. In this last capacity, he was largely res ...

). The Coopers were

Federalists The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

and had dominated local politics since the foundation of the village. The Federalists supported Lewis in his run for re-election against his Clintonian challenger

Daniel D. Tompkins Daniel D. Tompkins (June 21, 1774 – June 11, 1825) was an American politician. He was the fifth governor of New York from 1807 to 1817, and the sixth vice president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. Born in Scarsdale, New York, Tompkins ...

. Stranahan however was influenced by his landlord

Elihu Phinney Elihu Phinney (1755–1813) was the first printer in Cooperstown, New York. In the early 1790s he lived in Canaan, Columbia County, New York, where he published the '' Columbian Mercury, and Canaan Repository of Rural Knowledge''. Phinney wa ...

to support Tompkins. During the election campaign, on April 3, 1807, on Phinney's instructions, the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...

incorporated Cooperstown as the "Village of Otsego", thus insulting Judge Cooper by "stealing" his village, but the incorporation act was not published in Cooperstown until after the election. Cooper campaigned vigorously for Lewis, but Tompkins was elected Governor, carrying also Otsego County. On May 14, the result of the election was published by Phinney in his ''Otsego Herald'' together with the incorporation act, calling for a meeting to elect the village trustees. On May 19, five friends of Judge Cooper were elected trustees. At this meeting Judge Cooper insulted the leading Democratic-Republicans, including Stranahan, who two days later avenged his honor by attacking Cooper in the street, severely beating him with his cane. Stranahan was arrested, tried and fined $30 for the assault. On May 23, the trustees met again and refused to take any further action until the original name was restored to the village. This happened only in 1812 when the Federalists had the next time a majority in the State Legislature, and the "Village of Cooperstown" was re-incorporated. Stranahan married Sarah Stewart (1768–1824, daughter of Gen. Charles Stewart (1729–1800)). Their only child was Farrand Stewart Stranahan (1812–1845), and the latter's son was Lt. Gov. of Vermont

Farrand Stewart Stranahan Farrand Stewart Stranahan (February 2, 1842 – July 13, 1904) was an American Civil War veteran, a railroad executive, a banker, and a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. Early life F. Stewart Stranahan was born in Manhattan, New Yo ...

(1842–1904). During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, Stranahan was a

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 ...

and was taken prisoner during the

Battle of Queenston Heights The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle in the War of 1812. Resulting in a British victory, it took place on 13 October 1812 near Queenston, Upper Canada (now Ontario). The battle was fought between United States regulars wit ...

. 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 ...

from 1814 to 1816 (Western D.), and from 1823 to 1824 (6th D.). He was a member of the Council of Appointment in 1815. He was a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

1820 Events January–March *January 1 – Nominal beginning of the Trienio Liberal in Spain: A constitutionalist military insurrection at Cádiz leads to the summoning of the Spanish Parliament (March 7). *January 8 – General Maritime T ...

voting for James Monroe and

. In 1824, Stranahan was one of the 17 State senators (a majority of the 32-seat State Senate) who voted against the election of

s by popular ballot. This had been the main issue of the year, and the "People's Party", which advocated the popular election, achieved a landslide victory at the State election in November.

Sources

''Who Murdered William Cooper?''
essay by Alan Taylor, published in ''New York History'' (Vol. LXXII, No. 3, July 1991; pp. 261–283)
''Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont''
by Hiram D. Carleton (page 306) ives wrong birthplace "Cooperstown"br>''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 101, 122, 125, 146, 321 and 326; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
''Genealogies of the Stranahan, Josselyn, Fitch and Dow families in North America''
by Henry Reed Stiles (pages 19f) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stranahan, Farrand 1778 births 1826 deaths New York (state) lawyers People from Cooperstown, New York New York (state) state senators New York (state) Democratic-Republicans 1820 United States presidential electors People from New York (state) in the War of 1812 People from Canaan, New York American colonels 19th-century American lawyers