James Whitney Wilkin (March 19, 1762 in
Wallkill, then
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
, now
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster.
History
...
– February 23, 1845 in
Goshen, Orange Co., NY) 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
Wilkin served in the
Revolutionary War.
He graduated from Princeton College in 1785. Then he studied law, and was
admitted to the bar in 1788, and began practice in
Goshen, New York
Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 13,687 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Biblical Land of Goshen. It contains a village also called Goshen, which is the county seat of Orange County ...
. 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 1796, 1808 and 1808–09, and served as
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** In ...
during the latter term. He entered the State militia and rose through successive grades to the rank of major general. 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 1801 to 1804 and from 1811 to 1814. He was a member of the
Council of Appointment in 1802, 1811, and 1813. He was an unsuccessful candidate for
U.S. Senator from New York in
1813
Events
January–March
* January 18–January 23 – War of 1812: The Battle of Frenchtown is fought in modern-day Monroe, Michigan between the United States and a British and Native American alliance.
* January 24 – T ...
.
Wilkin 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
14th United States Congress
The 14th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in the Old Brick Capitol in Washingto ...
to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
Jonathan Fisk
Jonathan Fisk (September 26, 1778 – July 13, 1832) was an American lawyer and politician who served as United States Representative for the third District of New York.
Early life
Fisk was born in Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, ...
. He took his seat on December 4, 1815. He was re-elected to the
15th United States Congress
The 15th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in the Old Brick Capitol in Washington, ...
, and served until March 3, 1819. That year, his grandson,
Alexander Wilkin
Alexander Wilkin (December 1, 1819 – July 14, 1864) was a soldier during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Wilkin also played a role in the development of the Minnesota Territory, having been its second territorial secreta ...
, was born.
He was County Clerk of Orange County from 1819 to 1821, and County Treasurer for several years.
He was buried at Slate Hill Cemetery.
Sources
*James Whitney Wilkin in
Princetonians, 1784-1790: A Biographical Dictionary', by Ruth L. Woodward, Wesley Frank Craven
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkin, James Whitney
1762 births
1845 deaths
Princeton University alumni
Speakers of the New York State Assembly
New York (state) state senators
People from Wallkill, Orange County, New York
American militia generals
Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)