Jacob Worth (May 1, 1838 – February 21, 1905) was an American 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 born on May 1, 1838, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The family removed to Williamsburgh in 1842. His father died a short time later, leaving a widow and five children in straitened circumstances. He began to work aged eight years in a

ropewalk A ropewalk is a long straight narrow lane, or a covered pathway, where long strands of material are laid before being twisted into rope. Due to the length of some ropewalks, workers may use bicycles to get from one end to the other. Many ropew ...

. At age 14, he became a teamster on 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 ...

, then a boatman on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

, and aged 16 joined the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

as an apprentice, and made a voyage around the world which lasted three years. After his return to Brooklyn he worked as a

rigger Rigger may refer to: * One who attends to the rigging of a sailing ship * Rigger (entertainment), those who tend rigging in stage performance (theater, film, concert, etc.) * Rigger (industry), specializing in moving large/heavy objects such as log ...

. At age 19, he 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 in 1861 became a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. In September 1862, he was commissioned a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in the 139th New York Volunteers, and early in 1863 a captain in the 84th New York Volunteers, and fought in the Peninsular Campaign until the latter part of 1863. Worth 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 ...

(Kings Co., 7th D.) in

1864 Events January–March * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song " ...

1865 Events January–March * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at Broad Street (Manhattan), 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War : Sec ...

and

1866 Events January–March * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman tr ...

. In November 1866, he ran for Brooklyn Street Commissioner, but was defeated. He was again declared elected to the

91st New York State Legislature The 91st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to May 6, 1868, during the fourth year of Reuben E. Fenton's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provi ...

(Kings Co., 6th D.), and took his seat at the beginning of the session, but his election was contested by Democrat John Raber who was seated on March 13, 1868. He was again a member of the State Assembly (Kings Co., 6th D.) 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 ...

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndas ...

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...

and

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 ...

. In November 1878, he ran for Sheriff of Kings County, but was defeated. He was a Commissioner of City Works of Brooklyn from 1879 to 1880, and was appointed Brooklyn Fire Commissioner in 1880. In 1884, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress. 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 ...

(4th D.) from 1886 to 1889, sitting in the 109th, 110th, 111th and

112th New York State Legislature The 112th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to May 16, 1889, during the fifth year of David B. Hill's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provision ...

s. In 1897, he was appointed Clerk of Kings County, to fill a vacancy. The same year he supported

Seth Low Seth Low (January 18, 1850 – September 17, 1916) was an American educator and political figure who served as the mayor of Brooklyn from 1881 to 1885, the president of Columbia University from 1890 to 1901, a diplomatic representative of t ...

at the first mayoral election of the consolidated City of New York, against the regular Republican candidate

Benjamin F. Tracy Benjamin Franklin Tracy (April 26, 1830August 6, 1915) was a United States political figure who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1889 through 1893, during the administration of U.S. President Benjamin Harrison. Biography He was born in th ...

, and fell in disgrace with the Republican party machine. Worth suffered from poor health after 1898, and during his last years spent the winters in

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...

. On February 21, 1905, a short time after returning from the

Oaklawn Park Race Track Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, formerly Oaklawn Park Race Track, is an American thoroughbred racetrack and casino in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to "The Racing Festival of the South", a four-day series of races that concludes with the A ...

, he died suddenly in his room at the Eastman Hotel in Hot Springs, "supposedly of heart failure."

Sources

''The New York Red Book''
compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; pg. 403, 487–490, 494–498 and 783)
''Life Sketches of Government Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York in 1875''
by W. H. McElroy and Alexander McBride (pg. 319ff)
Biographical sketches of the members of the Legislature
in ''The Evening Journal Almanac'' (1887)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worth, Jacob 1838 births 1905 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Union Army officers 19th-century American politicians