John Watts Jr. (August 27, 1749 – September 3, 1836) was an American lawyer and politician from

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 ...

who represented New York in the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

Life

John Watts was born on August 27, 1749, in

. He was the son of John Watts (1715–1789), a Scottish immigrant from a wealthy family, and Ann DeLancey (1723–1784), a descendant of the Schuyler family and

Van Cortlandt family The Van Cortlandt family was an influential political dynasty from the seventeenth-century Dutch origins of New York through its period as an English colony, then after it became a state, and into the nineteenth century. It rose to great promin ...

. His elder brother, Robert Watts (1743–1814), was married to Mary Alexander, the daughter of

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 line ...

. His younger siblings included Anne Watts (1744–1783), who was married to Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis (the parents of

Archibald Kennedy, 1st Marquess of Ailsa Archibald Kennedy, 1st Marquess of Ailsa KT, FRS (February 1770 – 8 September 1846), styled Lord Kennedy between 1792 and 1794 and known as the Earl of Cassilis between 1794 and 1831, was a Scottish peer. Early life Kennedy was the eldest so ...

), Susannah Watts (1749–1823), who was married to Phillip Kearney, Mary Nicoll Watts (1751–1815), who was married to

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, and Margaret Watts, who was married to Robert Leake. His maternal grandparents were the French born Etienne de Lancy (1663–1741), a minor member of the French nobility, and Anne van Cortlandt (1676–1724), the third child of Gertrude Schuyler (b. 1654) 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' ...

(1643–1700), 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 ...

. He completed preparatory studies, graduated with an A.M. degree from King's College in May 1769, and studied law.

Career

In 1774, he was appointed the

Recorder of New York City The Recorder of New York City was a municipal officer of New York City from 1683 until 1907. He was at times a judge of the Court of General Sessions, the Court of Special Sessions, and the New York Court of Common Pleas; Vice-President of the Boar ...

under Mayor

David Mathews David Mathews ( – July 28, 1800) was an American lawyer and politician from New York City. He was a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War and was the 43rd and last Colonial Mayor of New York City from 1776 until 1783. As New York Cit ...

, and was the last to serve in this role under the English Crown.Richard M. Ketchum
Divided Loyalties: How the American Revolution Came to New York
2003, page 385 The role included serving as a "mayoral assistant, judge, and in sundry administrative and judicial functions." His father, a Loyalist, fled the colonies to England during the Revolutionary War. In 1779, his properties, including his "Rose Hill" estate (which is now occupied by Fordham University), were seized by the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an officia ...

. Watts and his brother Robert petitioned for the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditar ...

to be overturned. They were unable to have it overturned but were allowed to buy back their father's properties.

Post Revolutionary War

From 1788 to 1789 and again from 1791 to 1793, Watts was a member of the New York State Assembly serving as Speaker of the Assembly from 1791 to 1793. He was a member of the commission to build Newgate Prison in New York City, in use between 1797 and 1829. In 1793, he was elected as a

Pro-Administration Party The Federalist Party was a conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. Defeated by the Jeffersonian Republi ...

representative to the

3rd United States Congress The 3rd 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 at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Penn ...

succeeding

John Laurance John Laurance (sometimes spelled "Lawrence" or "Laurence") (1750 – November 11, 1810) was a delegate to the 6th, 7th, and 8th Congresses of the Confederation, a United States representative and United States Senator from New York and a United ...

to represent

New York's 2nd congressional district New York's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives along the South Shore of Long Island, New York. It includes southwestern Suffolk County and a small portion of southeastern Nassa ...

. He served in the U.S. Congress from March 4, 1793, until March 3, 1795. He was defeated in his run for re-election by

Edward Livingston Edward Livingston (May 28, 1764May 23, 1836) was an American jurist and statesman. He was an influential figure in the drafting of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825, a civil code based largely on the Napoleonic Code. Livingston represented both ...

. He was a judge of

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

from 1802 to 1807.

Leake and Watts Orphan Asylum

In 1831, Watts organized the Leake and Watts Orphan Asylum after his friend (who was also his sister Margaret's brother-in-law), John George Leake (1752–1827), died with no children or living siblings. Leake and Watts Services is now called Rising Ground. Leakes had left his personal property (valued at about $300,000) and real estate (worth an additional $86,000), to Watts' son provided he change his name to "Robert Leake.", pp.82-83 While Watts son made the change, he died a few months later, leaving no will. The real estate was

escheat Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...

ed to the State because of technical problems of the "will", however, the personal property passed to Watts who used it to found the Orphan Asylum.

Personal life

In 1775, Watts married Jane Delancey (1750–1809) in a double wedding, along with her sister, Susannah Delancey (1754–1837), who married

Thomas Henry Barclay Thomas Henry Barclay (October 12, 1753 – April 21, 1830) was an American lawyer who became one of the United Empire Loyalists in Nova Scotia and served in the colony's government. Early life Thomas Henry Barclay came from a prominent New York f ...

. The sisters were daughters of Peter DeLancey (who served in the New York Provincial Assembly for many years) and Elizabeth Colden (daughter of

Cadwallader Colden Cadwallader Colden (7 February 1688 – 28 September 1776) was a physician, natural scientist, a lieutenant governor and acting Governor for the Province of New York. Early life Colden was born on 7 February 1688 in Ireland, of Scottish pare ...

), and granddaughters of Stephen Delancey making them first cousins to John. Together, John and Jane were the parents of eleven children. His grandson would later write that "Watts was a monument of affliction, in that he had seen his wife, six handsome, gifted, and gallant sons, and four daughters precede him to the grave. One childless daughter survived him and three grandchildren." The children included: * George Watts, a First Lt. and aide-de-camp to General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

from 1814 to 1815. * Robert J. Watts, a captain in the 41st Infantry to whom John G. Leake left his extensive properties. Robert inherited Leake's estate but died very soon after. * John Watts III. * Ann Watts. * Susan Watts (1795–1823), who married her cousin Philip Kearny (1780–1849). * Elizabeth Watts (d. 1866), who married Henry Laight. * Mary Justina Watts (1801–1821), who married

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 ...

(1796–1882) in 1820. John Watts died at his longtime home, 3 Broadway in New York City, on September 3, 1836. He was interred in a vault in

Trinity Churchyard The parish of Trinity Church has three separate burial grounds associated with it in New York City. The first, Trinity Churchyard, is located in Lower Manhattan at 74 Trinity Place, near Wall Street and Broadway. Alexander Hamilton, Albert Galla ...

. In 1839, his family's Rose Hill estate and manor house were purchased by the Catholic Church to establish St. John's College.

Descendants

Through his daughter Susan, he was the 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 ...

. He was interred in Watts's vault until being removed to

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. Through his daughter Mary, he was the grandfather of John Watts de Peyster (1821–1907), a New York City author and philanthropist who married Estelle Livingston (1819–1898) in 1841.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, John 1749 births 1836 deaths People from New York City People of the Province of New York Schuyler family American people of Scottish descent American people of Dutch descent Pro-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Speakers of the New York State Assembly Members of the New York State Assembly New York City Recorders Burials at Trinity Church Cemetery