Jacob Hasbrouck De Witt (October 2, 1784 – January 30, 1857) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

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 * '' ...

Early life

Born in Marbletown, New York, De Witt was raised in Twaalskill (now part of the city of

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

). His father was Colonel Thomas De Witt (1741-1809), a veteran of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. His mother, Elsie Hasbrouck DeWitt (1749-1832), was the daughter of Jacob and Maria (Hornbeck) Hasbrouck, making her a member of the

Hasbrouck family The Hasbrouck family was an early immigrant family to Ulster County, New York, and helped found New Paltz, New York. The Hasbrouck family were French Huguenots who fled persecution in France by moving to Germany, and then the United States. ...

and a relative of many early notable Ulster County politicians. His parents had married February 28, 1782. His aunt Mary De Witt was the first wife of General James Clinton, and was the mother 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 ...

, making him Jacob's first cousin. Jacob De Witt attended the rural schools of Twaalskill and the Kingston (New York) Academy, afterwards becoming a farmer. His grandfather, Egbert A. DeWitt, was town supervisor of

Rochester, Ulster County, New York Rochester is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 7,272 at the 2020 census.US census, 2020 report, Rochester, Ulster County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Rocheste ...

from 1736 to 1738. He served as the adjutant of a militia regiment in 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 ...

. He continued his militia service, and later attained the rank of Colonel as commander of the New York Militia's 131st Regiment.

Political career and death

De Witt was elected as a

Democratic-Republican 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 ...

to the

Sixteenth The 16th century begins with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (Roman numerals, MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (Roman numerals, MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar ...

Congress (March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1820, and returned to farming. In 1827 and 1840 De Witt was Kingston's

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

and a member of the Ulster County Board of Supervisors. 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 ...

in 1839 and 1847. De Witt died in Kingston on January 30, 1857. He was originally buried at Sharpe Cemetery on Albany Avenue, and later reinterred at Kinsgton's Old Dutch Churchyard.

Personal life

Jacob married Mary Ann Meyer (1797-1816) on February 20, 1815. She died just a year later. On June 8, 1823 he married Sarah Ann Sleight, daughter of Johannes and Aaltje (Swartwout) Sleight and a granddaughter of

Jacobus Swartwout Jacobus Swartwout (1734–1827) was an early American landowner, statesman, and military leader. Swartwout served as a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War under General George Washington. He was a close ...

. They had at least four children: *Elsie De Witt (1823-1900); died unmarried. *Mary De Witt (1825-1893); married Kingston banker James Sidney Evans (1816-1857) in 1850 **Thomas Grier Evans (1852-1905); wrote the genealogical book "de Witt Family of Ulster County, New York" in 1886; was a Yale graduate and lawyer *Anna De Witt (1834-1901); married Charles Lytle Lamberton (1829-1906), who was a Pennsylvania State Senator from 1862 to 1864 *John Sleight De Witt (1838-1901) DeWitt Street in Kingston, New York was named for Jacob and his unmarried brother, Reuben DeWitt (1787-1859).

References

Jacob H. De Witt
in ''History of Ulster County'', New York by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester
Jacob H. De Witt
list of Kingston Town Supervisors in ''Proceedings of the Ulster County Legislature''
Jacob H. Dewitt
commander of the 131st Regiment in ''Annual Report of the New York State Historian'' {{DEFAULTSORT:De Witt, Jacob Hasbrouck 1784 births 1857 deaths People from Marbletown, New York Politicians from Kingston, New York American militiamen in the War of 1812 Town supervisors in New York (state) Members of the New York State Assembly Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American legislators American militia officers De Witt family