Henry Richard DeWitt (July 12, 1875 - September 23, 1936) was a

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 * '' ...

lawyer and politician. A member of 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 ...

, he served in 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 ...

from 1914 to 1916.

Early life

Henry Richard DeWitt was born in Spring Valley, New York on July 12, 1875, the son of Richard DeWitt and Katharine Hammond. His father was a Dutch Reformed minister who served a number of congregations in

until his death in 1901. Henry R. DeWitt's great-great-grandfather was the statesman

Charles DeWitt Charles DeWitt (April 27, 1727 – August 27, 1787) was an American statesman and miller from the U.S. state of New York. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. Early life DeWitt was born in Kingston, New York, the eldest s ...

, and his great-uncle was the congressman and diplomat

Charles G. DeWitt Charles Gerrit DeWitt (November 7, 1789 – April 12, 1839) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and politician from the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and as United Sta ...

. Through his father's side of the family, DeWitt was also a member of the

Ten Eyck family The Ten Eyck family came from the Netherlands to New Amsterdam (today's Manhattan) in the 1630s.Cuyler Reynolds, Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1911), 130-133. The patriarch of the Ame ...

and a relative of

Simeon DeWitt Simeon De Witt (December 25, 1756 – December 3, 1834) was Geographer and Surveyor General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and Surveyor General of the State of New York for the fifty years from 1784 until his death. Life ...

and

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 ...

. Henry R. DeWitt graduated from Rutgers University in 1898 and Albany Law School in 1900. Reverend Richard DeWitt

Career

DeWitt practiced law and served as the Deputy County Clerk in Ulster County, New York before running for elected office. Running as a member of the

, DeWitt was elected to the

for Ulster County's first district, defeating his

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opponent 4,937 votes to 4,680 votes. DeWitt was subsequently re-elected twice, serving in the assembly from 1914 to 1916. While an assemblyman, DeWitt was a member of the General Laws, Codes, Military Affairs, and Villages committees. After leaving office, DeWitt acted as the clerk for Ulster County's board of supervisors until 1921. Newspaper headline endorsing DeWitt

Personal life

DeWitt married Charlotte Anderson Folant on October 16, 1907. They had one daughter, Natalie Sims DeWitt, who married Richard E. Luff. Henry Richard DeWitt died in Wakefield, Massachusetts on September 23, 1936. His father Richard (1839-1901) was the son of TenEyck DeWitt (1792-1883) and Antje "Ann" Crispell DeWitt (1796-1860). He had at least three siblings: # Elmore DeWitt (1865-1933), born at Guilford, just outside of

Gardiner, New York Gardiner is a town in the south-central part of Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,610 at the 2020 census. History The first settlers in the region were Huguenots from France. Gardiner was created from parts of New P ...

# Mary DeWitt (1870-1965), born at Guilford # Anna Crispell DeWitt (1872-1914), born at Spring Valley; married William S. Eltinge (1874-1931), her 2nd cousin once removed through the Crispell family Henry descends, aside from the DeWitt family, from many of the early Dutch settler families to Ulster County, New York, including the Brodhead, DuBois, Blanchan, Ten Eyck, Elmendorf, Kiersted, Wynkoop, Ten Broeck, Crispell, Newkirk, Roosa, Krom, Van Vliet, Hasbrouck, Deyo, Schoonmaker and Louw families. Some notable ancestors include

Louis DuBois (Huguenot) Louis Du Bois (21 October 1626 – 1696) was a Huguenot colonist in New Netherland who, with two of his sons and nine other refugees, founded the town of New Paltz, New York. These Protestant refugees fled Catholic persecution in France, emigratin ...

, one of the thirteen patentees or founders of

New Paltz, New York New Paltz () is an incorporated U.S. town in Ulster County, New York. The population was 14,003 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston. New Paltz contains a village, also wit ...

; Claes Martenszen Roosevelt, ancestor of United States Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt; Antoine Crispell, another New Paltz patentee; Abraham Hasbrouck, another New Paltz patentee; and Christian Deyo, another New Paltz patentee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DeWitt, Henry Richard 1875 births 1936 deaths People from Spring Valley, New York 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians People from Kingston, New York De Witt family