John Watts (April 16, 1715 – August 15, 1789) was a British-born Scottish-American businessman and landowner.

Early life

Watts was born on April 16, 1715 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He was the son and fourth child born to Mary ( née Nicoll) Watts (b. 1689) and Robert Watts (1678–1750), an immigrant to New York City from Scotland at the close of the 1600s. In 1715, colonial Governor Hunter appointed him to the board of the "Lords of Trade" of the city of New York. His paternal grandfather was John Watts and his family's seat was Rose Hill, then in the suburbs of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. His maternal grandparents were William Nicoll,

Speaker of the New York General Assembly The Speaker of the New York General Assembly was the highest official in the New York General Assembly, the first representative governing body in New York from 1683 to 1775 when the assembly disbanded after the outbreak of the American Revolution ...

(and son of mayor Matthias Nicoll), and Anne (née Van Rensselaer) Nicoll. His grandmother was a widow of Kiliaen van Rensselaer and a daughter of

Jeremias van Rensselaer Jeremias van Rensselaer (Amsterdam, 16 May 1632 – October 12, 1674) was the third son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, one of the founders and directors of the Dutch West India Company who was instrumental in the establishment of New Netherland ...

, acting patroon of

Rensselaerwyck The Manor of Rensselaerswyck, Manor Rensselaerswyck, Van Rensselaer Manor, or just simply Rensselaerswyck ( nl, Rensselaerswijck ), was the name of a colonial estate—specifically, a Dutch patroonship and later an English manor—owned by the va ...

Career

Watts, one of the most prominent and wealthy landowners in the colonies and was one of the original subscribers to the

Tontine Coffee House The Tontine Coffee House was a coffeehouse in Manhattan, New York City, established in early 1793. Situated at 82 Wall Street, on the north-west corner of Water Street,Nathans, p. 133 it was built by a group of stockbrokers to serve as a meeting p ...

. He served as president of His Majesty's council of New York from 1758 to 1776, and a 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 coloni ...

from 1752 to 1759. It has been said that if the Revolution failed, Watts would have been the chosen Lieutenant Governor of New York and Acting Secretary of the Province. In 1754, he was one of the original founders and trustees of the

New York Society Library The New York Society Library (NYSL) is the oldest cultural institution in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the New York Society as a subscription library. During the time when New York was the capital of the United States, it was the de ...

. He was also a founder and original member of the

Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York The Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York is the oldest Charitable organization, charitable institution in the state of New York (state), New York and is focused on helping Scots in the New York community. History The organization was ...

, serving as its president from 1771 to 1772, and as the first president of the

New York City Hospital This is a list of hospitals in the five boroughs of New York City, sorted by hospital name, with addresses and brief descriptions of their formation and development. Hospital names were obtained from these sources. Hospitals * Manhattan: * The ...

in 1760. As the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

approached, Watts and his wife, both Loyalists, went to Wales in 1775 where his wife died a few months later. In 1779, his properties, including his "Rose Hill" estate (which today is occupied by Fordham University), were seized by the New York State Legislature.

Personal life

Brown - Anne Watts, wife of the 11th Earl of Cassillis

In July 1742, Watts was married to Anne DeLancey (1723–1775), daughter of Anne (née van Cortlandt) DeLancey and Étienne de Lancy, a minor member of the French nobility. Her maternal grandparents were Geertruy

Schuyler Schuyler may refer to: Places United States * Schuyler County, Illinois * Schuyler County, Missouri * Schuyler, Nebraska, a city * Schuyler County, New York * Schuyler, New York, a town * Schuyler Island, Lake Champlain, New York * Schuyler C ...

and

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' ...

, the Chief Justice 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 U ...

, and among her siblings was

New York Governor The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ha ...

James DeLancey 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. Early life and education De Lancey was born in New York City on November 27, 170 ...

and fellow loyalist Oliver DeLancey. Together, they were the parents of: * Robert Watts (1743–1814), who married Mary Alexander, eldest daughter of

William Alexander, Lord Stirling William Alexander, also known as Lord Stirling (1726 – 15 January 1783), was a Scottish-American major general during the American Revolutionary War. He was considered male heir to the Scottish title of Earl of Stirling through Scottish lin ...

. * Anne Watts (1744–1783), who married Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis. * Susanna Watts (1749–1823), who married Phillip Kearney (1725–1798). * John Watts (1749–1836) who became a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

, and married his cousin Jane Delancey. * Mary Nicoll Watts (1751–1815), who married

Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet Brigadier General Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet (5 November 1741 – 4 January 1830) was an American-born military officer, magistrate, landowner and colonial official in the British Indian Department who fought as a Loyalist during the American ...

. * Stephen Watts, who was married to Sarah Nugent (1754–1841). * Margaret Watts (b. 1753), who was married to Robert William Leake. Watts died in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

on August 15, 1789 and was buried in

St James's Church, Piccadilly St James's Church, Piccadilly, also known as St James's Church, Westminster, and St James-in-the-Fields, is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, United Kingdom. The church was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren. Th ...

, London. After the War ended, his sons Robert and John petitioned for the attainder of their properties to be overturned, and were unsuccessful, but were allowed to buy back his properties in 1784, which included vast holdings in ships, mills, factories, banks, and investment houses.

Descendants

Through their children, the Watts became ancestors of the Marquess of Ailsa in Scotland, the

Duke of Grafton Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke ...

and the

Viscount Daventry Viscount Daventry, of Daventry in the Northamptonshire, County of Northampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 6 May 1943 for Muriel FitzRoy, 1st Viscountess Daventry, Muriel FitzRoy (née Douglas-Pennant), in h ...

in England. Through his daughter Susanna, he was the grandfather of Major General

Stephen Watts Kearny Stephen Watts Kearny (sometimes spelled Kearney) ( ) (August 30, 1794October 31, 1848) was one of the foremost antebellum frontier officers of the United States Army. He is remembered for his significant contributions in the Mexican–American Wa ...

(1794–1848) and great-grandfather of Gen.

Philip Kearny Philip Kearny Jr. (; June 1, 1815 – September 1, 1862) was a United States Army officer, notable for his leadership in the Mexican–American War and American Civil War. He was killed in action in the 1862 Battle of Chantilly. Early life and c ...

(1815–1862), a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

officer notable for his leadership in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

and

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

who was killed in action in the 1862

Battle of Chantilly The Battle of Chantilly (or Ox Hill, the Confederate name) took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's corp ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, John 18th-century American politicians 1715 births 1789 deaths Governors of the Province of New York Members of the New York General Assembly People of the Province of New York Presidents of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York John Watts De Lancey family