James William Beekman (22 November 1815 – 15 June 1877) was an arts patron and politician from New York who served as the vice president of the New York Hospital. He was a member of the prominent Beekman family.

Early life

James William Beekman was born in New York City on November 22, 1815. He was the son of Gerard Beekman (1774–1833) and Catharine Saunders (1785–1835). His paternal grandparents were James Beekman (1732–1807) and Jane Keteltas (1734–1817). His 2x great-grandfather was

Gerardus Beekman Gerardus Willemse Beekman (c. August 1653 – October 10, 1723) was a wealthy physician, land owner, and colonial governor of the Province of New York. Early life He was christened August 17, 1653 at Corlaer's Hook Plantation, New York, the seco ...

, and his 3x great-grandfather was Dutch

Wilhelmus Beekman Wilhelmus Hendricksen Beekman (April 28, 1623 – September 21, 1707) — also known as William Beekman and Willem Beekman (or Beeckman) — was a Dutch immigrant to America who came to New Amsterdam (now New York City) from the Netherlands in the ...

, who sailed with Peter Stuyvesant to

New Netherlands New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...

, and was an officer of the Dutch West India Company. He graduated from Columbia College in 1834, and studied law with John Landis Mason, but never joined the New York Bar Association. His father died in 1833 left him with money, and the death of his uncle, James Beekman, Jr. (1758-1837), added to his real estate holdings on the

East River The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Quee ...

near Fifty-second street, including the Beekman mansion, "Mount Pleasant", a place of historic interest from its prominence in Revolutionary times.

Career

He was a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co., 6th D.) in

1849 Events January–March * January 1 – France begins issue of the Ceres series, the nation's first postage stamps. * January 5 – Hungarian Revolution of 1848: The Austrian army, led by Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz, enters in th ...

; and of the New York State Senate (5th D.) from 1850 to 1853, sitting in the 73rd, 74th, 75th and

76th New York State Legislature The 76th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met in Albany from January 4 to July 21, 1853, during the first year of Horatio Seymour's governorship. Background Under the prov ...

s. In 1861, along with

Erastus Corning Erastus Corning (December 14, 1794 – April 9, 1872) was an American businessman and politician from Albany, New York. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service as mayor of Albany from 1834 to 1837, in the New York State Senate from 1842 ...

and

Thurlow Weed Edward Thurlow Weed (November 15, 1797 – November 22, 1882) was a printer, New York newspaper publisher, and Whig and Republican politician. He was the principal political advisor to prominent New York politician William H. Seward and was i ...

, Beekman was appointed by a meeting of conservative men in New York to go to Washington and urge President James Buchanan to relieve

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battle ...

. He was vice-president of the New York Hospital, president of the woman's hospital, and a director of the New York dispensary. He was also one of the early members of the

New-York Historical Society The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, along Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum ...

, before which he delivered a centennial discourse in 1871 and read papers at different times. On 4 December 1869, he delivered an address before the St. Nicholas Society on "The Founders of New York," which was afterward published. In February 1876, he published a report on a village of hospitals.

Personal life

He married Abian Ann Steele Milledoler (1819–1897), daughter of Phillip Milledoler (1775–1852), the president of

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

, and Margaret Steele (d. 1852). Their children included: *Catherine Beekman (1841–1923), who married William W. Hoppin, Jr. (1840–1913), son of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

William W. Hoppin *Gerard Beekman (1842–1918) *Philip Milledoller Beekman (1845–1846) *James William Beekman, Jr. (1847–1908) *Cornelia Augusta Beekman (1849–1917) He died in 1877 and was buried in

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several blo ...

. At the time of his death, he had two sons and two daughters living. The pallbearers at his funeral were

Frederic de Peyster Frederic de Peyster II (November 11, 1796 in New York City – August 17, 1882 in Tivoli, New York) was a New York City lawyer and prominent member of the De Peyster family. Early life De Peyster was born in Hanover Square in New York City ...

, Benjamin H. Field, F. G. Foster, J. H. Hammersley, Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet,

John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the f ...

, and

Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish (August 3, 1808September 7, 1893) was an American politician who served as the 16th Governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, a United States Senator from New York from 1851 to 1857 and the 26th United States Secretary of State ...

. His estate was valued at several million dollars.

Legacy

The James William Beekman House is a registered landmark in

Oyster Bay, New York The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three towns which make up Nassau County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County to extend from the North Shore to the South Shore ...

, designed by Henry G. Harrison, and was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. In his will, he left his Oyster Bay home, known then as "The Cliffs," to his son Gerard, and his home on Madison Avenue to his son, James Jr.

Early life

Career

Personal life

Legacy

References

Further reading