John Van Schaick (July 28, 1840 – June 9, 1923) was an American lawyer and politician from

Schoharie County, New York Schoharie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county seat is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning "f ...

Early life

Van Schaick was born on July 28, 1840, in

Sharon Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...

. He was a son of Joseph Wilson Van Schaick (1804–1880) and Elizabeth (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Slingerland) Van Schaick (1808–1890). His siblings included Koert VanSchaick, Elizabeth (née Van Schaick) Hutton, Mary Van Schaick, Catherine Van Schaick, Slingerland Van Schaick, Sarah Van Schaick and Emily Van Schaick. He attended Charlotteville Seminary (in his native Schoharie County) and

Williston Seminary Williston Northampton School (simply referred to as Williston) is a private, co-educational, day and boarding college-preparatory school in Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1841. History Williston Seminary was ...

in Massachusetts before attending

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

which he left to attend

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at A ...

where he graduated in 1864.

Career

Van Schaick worked as a teacher, a School Commissioner, and had a law office in Cobleskill where he was known as the "Nestor of the Schoharie County Bar". In 1883, he was elected to 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 ...

and began serving on January 1, 1884, in the

107th New York State Legislature The 107th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to May 16, 1884, during the second year of Grover Cleveland's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provi ...

replacing fellow

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 ...

Addison P. Jones. He served through the 108th Legislature until December 31, 1885, when he was replaced by

Henry C. Connelly Henry Cantine Connelly (September 25, 1832 in Phoenicia, Ulster County, New York – October 8, 1912 in Kingston, Ulster County, New York) was an American merchant, manufacturer, banker and politician from New York. Life He was the son of Willia ...

. He also served as secretary of the Schoharie County Anti-Horse Thief Society, president of the Cobleskill Agricultural Society, member of Holland Society, first

Sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Al ...

of the

Improved Order of Red Men The Improved Order of Red Men is a fraternal organization established in North America in 1834. Their rituals and regalia are modeled after those assumed by men of the era to be used by Native Americans. Despite the name, the order was formed ...

in Cobleskill and Mason.

Personal life

On May 25, 1871, Van Shaick was married to Frances Elizabeth Shaver (1851–1923), who was born at Hyndsville and was the daughter of Charles H. Shaver and Salina (née Hynds) Shaver, a descendant of the prominent

Schuyler family The Schuyler family ( /ˈskaɪlər/; Dutch pronunciation: xœylər was a prominent Dutch family in New York and New Jersey in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose descendants played a critical role in the formation of the United States (especiall ...

of Albany. Together, they were the parents of: * Charles Shaver Van Schaick (1872–1928), who worked for the

Mercantile Agency Mercantile agencies, or commercial agencies, are organizations that are designed to collect, record, and distribute to regular clients information relative to the standing of commercial firms. They thus act as a sort of clearing house of information ...

. * John Van Schaick Jr. (1873–1949), a prominent minister of the

Universalist National Memorial Church Universalist National Memorial Church (UNMC) is a Unitarian Universalist church located at 1810 16th Street, Northwest in the Dupont Circle vicinage of Washington, D.C. Theologically, the church describes itself as "both liberal Christian and U ...

who married Julia Asenath Romaine (a daughter of Benjamin F. Romaine of New York City). *

Louis Joseph Van Schaick Louis Joseph Van Schaick (pronounced "Van Scoik") (July 1, 1875 - February 14, 1945) was an officer in the United States Army and a Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in the Philippine–American War. Biography He was born on July 1, 1875 in ...

(1875–1945), an officer in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

who received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for his actions in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. Later during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Col. Van Schaick was taken prisoner by the Japanese. Although he was released, he died in the Philippine Islands. He married Nellie Mae Kellogg, niece of

Will Keith Kellogg William Keith Kellogg (April 7, 1860 – October 6, 1951), generally referred to as W.K. Kellogg, was an American industrialist in food manufacturing, best known as the founder of the Kellogg's, Kellogg Company, which produces a wide variety of ...

, founder of the

Kellogg Company The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toas ...

. * Jessie Van Schaick (1877–1962), who married Arden Lathrop Norton. * George Slingerland Van Schaick (1883–1968), an attorney who married Blanche LeFevre, a graduate of

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

who was a founder and former president of the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. * Francis Van Schaick (1892–1946), who married Katherine Mallette Hardwick in 1916. Van Shaick died on June 9, 1923, in Cobleskill, also in Schoharie County, New York. His widow died a few months later in August 1923.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schaick, John Van 1840 births 1923 deaths Williams College alumni Albany Law School alumni New York (state) lawyers Democratic Party New York (state) state senators 19th-century American lawyers