John Tracy (October 26, 1783 in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...

– June 18, 1864 in

Oxford, New York Oxford is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Chenango County, New York, Chenango County, New York (state), New York, United States. The town contains a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village also named Oxford (villa ...

) was an American lawyer and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served 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 ...

from 1833 to 1838.

Life

At the beginning of the 19th century he moved to

Columbus, New York Columbus is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The population was 975 at the 2010 census. Columbus is in the northeastern corner of the county and is northeast of Norwich. History The area of Columbus was first settled around 1 ...

. In 1805 he moved to Oxford, where he served as deputy county clerk under his relative Uri Tracy. He studied law with Stephen O. Runyan, was admitted to the bar in 1808, and practiced in Oxford. He married Susan Hyde in

Franklin, Connecticut Franklin is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,863 at the 2020 census. The town includes the village of North Franklin. History Franklin incorporated as a town in 1786. The town is named after Benjamin F ...

, on August 30, 1813. Tracy was active in politics, first 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 ...

, and later 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 ...

. In 1815, he was appointed

Surrogate A surrogate is a substitute or deputy for another person in a specific role and may refer to: Relationships * Surrogacy, an arrangement where a woman agrees to carry and give birth to a child for another person who will become its parent at bi ...

Chenango County Chenango County is a county located in the south-central section U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning 'large bull-thistle ...

, a post he held four years. He was elected to 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 1820, and returned in 1821, 1822 and 1826. In 1821 he was re-appointed surrogate, and in 1823 he became First Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and he served until resigning in 1833. In 1830 the state legislature elected Tracy as a regent of the

University of the State of New York The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state of New York (state), New York's governmental umbrella organization for both public and private institutions in New York State. The "university" is not an educational institution: it i ...

, and he served until 1833. From 1833 to 1838, he was Lieutenant Governor under Governor

William L. Marcy William Learned Marcy (December 12, 1786July 4, 1857) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as U.S. Senator, Governor of New York, U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State. In the latter office, he negotiated the Gad ...

. In 1846 he was a delegate to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

, and was chosen its president. After this convention, Tracy withdrew from politics and government. For many years Tracy was president of the Oxford Academy board of trustees. He died in Oxford, New York on June 18, 1864, and was buried at the Riverview Cemetery in Oxford. Tracy was survived by his daughters, Esther Marie Mygatt, widow of Henry R. Mygatt, and Susan Eliza Clarke, widow of James W. Clarke; and grandchildren, John Tracy Mygatt, Mai Mygatt, and William R. Mygatt, a lawyer in practice at Oxford, N.Y. His great-great granddaughter

Tracy Dickinson Mygatt Tracy Dickinson Mygatt (March 12, 1885 – November 22, 1973) was an American writer and pacifist, co-founder with Frances M. Witherspoon of the War Resisters League, and longtime officer of the Campaign for World Government. Early life and e ...

was a Socialist playwright and pacifist.Mary O'Flaherty, "Of Sturdy Whig Stock is Woman Socialist," ''Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' (November 3, 1932): 21.
via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

Sources

External links

John Tracy Bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tracy, John 1783 births 1864 deaths Lieutenant Governors of New York (state) New York (state) lawyers New York (state) Democratic-Republicans Regents of the University of the State of New York Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Politicians from Norwich, Connecticut New York (state) state court judges Burials in New York (state) People from Goshen, Connecticut 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers