HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

James De Lancey (November 27, 1703 – July 30, 1760) served as chief justice, lieutenant governor, and acting colonial governor of the
Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...
.


Early life and education

De Lancey was born 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 ...
on November 27, 1703, the first son of Étienne de Lancy and Anne, a daughter of
Stephanus Van Cortlandt Stephanus van Cortlandt (May 7, 1643 – November 25, 1700) was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor's ...
. His brother, Oliver De Lancey, became a senior
Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
officer in the
American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, joining
General Howe William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB PC (10 August 172912 July 1814) was a British Army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British land forces in the Colonies during the American War of Independence. Howe was one of three brot ...
on
Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...
in 1776, and raising and equipping
De Lancey's Brigade De Lancey's Brigade, also known as De Lancey's Volunteers, De Lancey's Corps, De Lancey's Provincial Corps, De Lancey's Refugees, and the "Cowboys" or "Cow-boys", was a Loyalist British provincial military unit, raised for service during the Ame ...
, three battalions of 1,500 Loyalist volunteers from New York State. His sister Susannah Delancey became the wife of
Admiral Sir Peter Warren Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
, and another sister, Anne DeLancey, became the wife of John Watts, member of the
New York General Assembly The General Assembly of New York, commonly known internationally as the New York General Assembly, and domestically simply as General Assembly, was the supreme legislative body of the Province of New York during its period of proprietal colonia ...
. James went to England for his schooling, and to
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus"), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century through to the early 19th century ...
, where he was tutored by future
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
Thomas Herring Thomas Herring (169323 March 1757) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1747 to 1757. Early life and education He was the son of John Herring, rector of Walsoken in Norfolk, who had previously been vicar of Foxton, near Cambridge, and his wife, ...
, before studying law at the
Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...
, London. Having been admitted to the bar in 1725, he returned to New York to practice law and enter politics.


Career

Also in 1729, De Lancey was made a member of the New York Assembly, and in 1731 was appointed as second justice of the
Supreme Court of New York The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...
. In 1730, De Lancey was chosen to lead a commission to frame a new charter for the City of New York. Passed into law in 1732 by the New York Assembly, "the Montgomerie Charter," was principally the work of James De Lancey, who, for his services, was presented with the Freedom of the City Medal."James De Lancey"
Historical Society of the New York Courts
Also in 1730, De Lancey was appointed to the
Governor's Council The governments of the Thirteen Colonies of British America developed in the 17th and 18th centuries under the influence of the British constitution. After the Thirteen Colonies had become the United States, the experience under colonial rule would ...
.


''Cosby v. Van Dam'', 1733

When Royal Governor of New York and New Jersey
John Montgomerie Colonel John Montgomerie (died 1731) was colonial governor of New York and New Jersey from 1728 to 1731. Life Montgomerie was born in the parish of Beith in Scotland. His father, Francis Montgomerie, was a member of the Privy Council under W ...
died in July 1731, Council President
Rip Van Dam Rip Van Dam ( – 10 June 1749) was the acting governor of the Province of New York from 1731 to 1732. As one of the leaders of the republican liberal (or "country") party, Van Dam confronted the subsequent royal governor William Cosby. Early l ...
was elected acting governor in New York, and
Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...
, President of the
New Jersey Provincial Council The New Jersey Provincial Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under colonial rule until it was replaced by the New Jersey Legislative Council under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776. History The Provincial Council was est ...
took over the duties temporarily in New Jersey.
William Cosby Brigadier-General William Cosby (1690–1736) was an Irish soldier who served as the British colonial governor of New York from 1732 to 1736. During his short term, Cosby was portrayed as one of the most oppressive governors in the Thirteen Co ...
was appointed Captain General & Governor on January 13, 1732 and arrived in New York thirteen months later."Cosby v. Van Dam, 1733"
Historical Society of the New York Courts
Cosby demanded that Van Dam turn over the salary he had received as interim Acting Governor. Confident that Justices
Frederick Philipse Frederick Philipse (born Frederick Flypsen;Appleton, W.S. ''The Heraldic Journal, Recording the Amorial Bearings and Genealogies of American Families'', Wiggen & Lunt, Boston, 1867 1626 in Bolsward, Netherlands – December 23, 1702), first Lord ...
and De Lancey, who together constituted a majority of the Supreme Court of Judicature, would rule in his favor, he brought suit as a bill in equity in order to avoid a jury trial. Lewis Morris had served as Chief Justice of New York since 1715. Although Cosby won the case, Lewis wrote a minority dissent, which was printed for public distribution. Cosby retaliated by removing Morris from office. (The Lords of the Board of Trade in London later ruled that Morris's removal had been illegal.)


''Crown v. John Peter Zenger'', 1735

In 1733, on the removal of chief justice
Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...
, De Lancey was appointed in his stead, and served as chief justice of New York for the remainder of his life. When two Grand Juries failed to return an indictment for seditious libel against journalist
John Peter Zenger John Peter Zenger (October 26, 1697 – July 28, 1746) was a German printer and journalist in New York City. Zenger printed '' The New York Weekly Journal''. He was accused of libel in 1734 by William Cosby, the royal governor of New York, but ...
, the Attorney General filed an information and Justices Philipse and De Lancey issued a bench warrant. In response to a writ of ''habeas corpus'', De Lancey set bail far beyond Zenger's means and he was committed to await trial. Zenger was represented by James Alexander, a former attorney general of the colony and William Smith, both of whom had written anonymous articles for Zenger's paper critical of the Cosby. They challenged the make up of the court, arguing that Chief Justice Morris' summary removal was illegal, and therefore so too De Lancey's appointment to replace him. The court then struck their names from the list of attorneys admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Judicature. The court appointed the relatively inexperienced John Chambers, who nonetheless, successfully challenged the list of jurors to ensure a non-biased panel. Meanwhile, supporters of Zenger contacted noted lawyer Andrew Hamilton who volunteered to take the case "pro bono". As Hamilton was from Philadelphia he was outside the reach of influence of the New York judges. De Lancey instructed the jury that they need to only decide if Zenger printed the articles which appeared clearly libelous. Hamilton argued his case directly to the jury which shortly returned a verdict of not guilty. This was an early instance of
jury nullification Jury nullification (US/UK), jury equity (UK), or a perverse verdict (UK) occurs when the jury in a criminal trial gives a not guilty verdict despite a defendant having clearly broken the law. The jury's reasons may include the belief that the ...
. The Zenger trial is recognized as a landmark colonial case that eventually led to the establishment of a free press in America. In 1744, one year into George Clinton's position as Governor of New York, De Lancey was granted a commission as New York's chief justice where he became a dominant political force with many relying on his support for their continued time in office and salary. In the same year, he was elected a member of
The American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
.Bell, Whitfield J., and Charles Greifenstein, Jr. ''Patriot-Improvers: Biographical Sketches of Members of the American Philosophical Society''. 3 vols. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1997, 1:120–124.


Lieutenant governor

In 1746 a dispute arose between
Governor George Clinton George Clinton (July 26, 1739April 20, 1812) was an American soldier and statesman, considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A prominent Democratic-Republican, Clinton served as the fourth vice president of the United States f ...
and the New York Assembly regarding the governor's salary. Chief Justice De Lancey supported the legislature's position in the controversy, thus incurring the enmity of Governor Clinton, who subsequently refused to acknowledge a commission from King George II (dated October 27, 1747), appointing De Lancey as
Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...
. Governor Clinton withheld De Lancey's commission as lieutenant governor until October 1753. With the advent of the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
, Lt. Gov. De Lancey convened and presided over a congress of colonial delegates held in
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 ...
in June 1754 (
Albany Congress The Albany Congress (June 19 – July 11, 1754), also known as the Albany Convention of 1754, was a meeting of representatives sent by the legislatures of seven of the 13 British colonies in British America: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, ...
), for the purpose of establishing an alliance with the Indians for the common defense against the French. In October 1754, Lt. Gov. De Lancey granted a charter for the creation of King's College (now
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
). In July 1755, Lt. Gov. De Lancey attended a council of governors of the colonies, held at
Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...
, to coordinate defense matters with
General Braddock Major-General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe ...
against the French. In September 1755,
Sir Charles Hardy Sir Charles Hardy (c. 1714 – 18 May 1780) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1764 and 1780. He served as colonial governor of New York from 1755 to 1757. Early career Born at Portsmouth, the ...
arrived from London and assumed the functions of Governor of New York, thus returning Lt. Gov. De Lancey to his role as Chief Justice. Hardy's tenure as governor came to an end in July 1757, when Sir Charles took command of a military expedition to
Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The French military founded the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1713 and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, ...
,
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
, once again leaving De Lancey the ''de facto'' ruler of the province, which he remained till his death.


Family

In 1729, James De Lancey married Anne Heathcote, daughter of
Caleb Heathcote Caleb Heathcote (March 6, 1665 – February 28, 1721) served as the 31st Mayor of New York City from 1711 to 1713. Early life Heathcote was born on March 6, 1665, in his father's house in Chesterfield in Derbyshire, England. Caleb was the sixth ...
, a former
mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...
, at Trinity Church. * Captain James De Lancey (1732–1800), who took over the family dry goods business and was active in New York provincial politics. *Anna De Lancey, who married
Thomas Jones (historian) Thomas Jones (April 20, 1731 – July 25, 1792) was a lawyer and politician of colonial New York who also wrote a history of New York after being compelled to flee to England. Early life Jones was born at Tyrone House in Fort Neck, then in Q ...
. *Susannah De Lancey, who died unmarried but raised Susannah Burritt, the daughter of the Rev.
Blackleach Burritt Blackleach Burritt (1744 – August 27, 1794) was a preacher during the American Revolutionary War. During the war, he was incarcerated in a sugar house prison.Mather., p. 206 Early life and ancestors Blackleach Burritt was born at Ripton Pari ...
and Martha Welles.Raymond, Marcius D., p. 37 De Lancey died on July 30, 1760 in New York City.


Legacy

Delancey Street __NOTOC__ Delancey Street is one of the main thoroughfares of New York City's Lower East Side in Manhattan, running from the street's western terminus at the Bowery to its eastern end at FDR Drive, connecting to the Williamsburg Bridge and Bro ...
on
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 ...
's
Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...
was named in honor of James De Lancey.


References

;Notes ;Sources * D.A. Story, ''The DeLancey's: Romance of a Great Family'', Toronto, Nelson & Sons, 1931 * Milton M. Klein
‘DeLancey, James (1703–1760)’
''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 26 Aug 2008 * Raymond, Marcius D. ''Sketch of Rev. Blackleach Burritt and related Stratford families : a paper read before the Fairfield County Historical Society, at Bridgeport, Conn., Friday evening, Feb. 19, 1892''. Bridgeport : Fairfield County Historical Society 1892. *
Colonial Governors of NY


{{DEFAULTSORT:Delancey, James 1703 births 1760 deaths Governors of the Province of New York Members of the New York Provincial Assembly Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge American people of Dutch descent Members of the Inner Temple Schuyler family Politicians from New York City People of the Province of New York Members of the American Philosophical Society De Lancey family Members of the New York Executive Council