Joseph Delafield (August 22, 1790 – February 12, 1875) was an American soldier, lawyer and diplomat.

Early life

Delafield was born 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 ...

on August 22, 1790. He was the second oldest of the surviving sons and four daughters born to Anne ( née Hallett) Delafield (1766–1839) and John Delafield (1748–1824), a merchant who emigrated to New York from England in 1788 and was a founder and director of the Mutual Insurance Company, becoming one of the wealthiest men in the country. His father's summer residence, built in 1791 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 ...

opposite

Blackwell's Island Roosevelt Island is an island in New York City's East River, within the borough of Manhattan. It lies between Manhattan Island to the west, and the borough of Queens, on Long Island, to the east. Running from the equivalent of East 46th to 85 ...

, was known as" Sunswick" (later known as Ravenswood) and was one of the largest and best appointed private houses around New York. Among his many siblings were brothers John Delafield, Henry Delafield, William Delafield, Maj. Gen.

Richard Delafield Richard Delafield (September 1, 1798 – November 5, 1873) was a United States Army officer for 52 years. He served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy for 12 years. At the start of the American Civil War, then Colonel Del ...

, Dr.

Edward Delafield Edward Delafield (May 7, 1794 – February 13, 1875) was an American physician, primarily known as an ophthalmologist, but also for his work in obstetrics and gynaecology. He was the co-founder (with John Kearney Rodgers) of the New York Eye In ...

, and Rufus King Delafield. His younger sister, Susan Maria Delafield, was married to Henry Parish. Joseph, his father, and four of his brothers were painted by Morton H. Bly, which is today owned by the

New York Genealogical and Biographical Society The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYG&B or NYGBS) is a non-profit institution located at 36 West 44th Street in New York City. Founded in 1869, it is the second-oldest genealogical society in the United States, and the only state ...

. His maternal grandparents were Joseph Hallett and Elizabeth (née Hazard) Hallett and his aunt, Mary Hallett, was the second wife of

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 ...

Benjamin Tallmadge Benjamin Tallmadge (February 25, 1754 – March 7, 1835) was an American military officer, spymaster, and politician. He is best known for his service as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He acted as leade ...

. His paternal grandparents were John Delafield and Martha (née Dell) Delafield, a daughter of John Dell of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. His nephew, Dr.

Francis Delafield Francis Delafield (August 3, 1841 – July 17, 1915)

, was married to Katherine Van Rensselaer, and was the father of Connecticut representative

Edward Henry Delafield Edward Henry Delafield (December 23, 1880 – December 2, 1955) was a Connecticut politician and prominent landowner. Early life Delafield was born in New York, New York on December 23, 1880. He was the son of Dr. Francis Delafield (1841–19 ...

. After preliminary education from the Rev. Smith on Pine Street in New York, Delafield prepared for college at a school in Stamford, Connecticut, along with Herman LeRoy, William Wilkes and William Backhouse Astor Sr.

Career

After graduating from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1808, Delafield studied law with the former Attorney General of New York,

Josiah Ogden Hoffman Josiah Ogden Hoffman (April 14, 1766 – January 24, 1837) was an American lawyer and politician. Early life Josiah Ogden Hoffman was born on April 14, 1766, in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Nicholas Hoffman (1736–1800) and Sarah Ogden Hoffma ...

, and was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of New York on October 29, 1811. In 1810, he was appointed lieutenant in the 5th regiment,

New York State Militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the state defense force of New York State, also called The New York State Military Reserve. Originally called the New York State Militia it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Th ...

. On February 2, 1812, he was promoted to captain and when the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

broke out, he raised a full company of volunteers. By the end of 1812, he was commissioned as a captain in Hawkins' Regiment, and promoted to major of the 46th Infantry on April 15, 1814, and resigned at the close of the war. In 1817, he attached to the commission under the

Treaty of Ghent The Treaty of Ghent () was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in ...

for setting off the northern-western boundary of the United States. On January 1, 1821, he was appointed a full U.S. Agent under the 6th and 7th Articles, serving until June 1828. He was responsible for establishing the line between St. Regis on the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

and the Lake of the Woods. During his travels north, he began to form his collection of minerals that was considered one of the best in private hands in the country for many years. Delafield was a member of many scientific associations, both in the United States and in Europe. From 1827 to 1866, when he declined a re-election, he served as president of the New York Lyceum of Natural History where he was a member for fifty-two years.

Personal life

On December 12, 1833, Delafield was married to Julia Livingston (1801–1882). His wife was a daughter of Margret (née Lewis) Livingston and Maturin Livingston, twice 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 ...

. Her uncle was Speaker Peter R. Livingston and her paternal grandparents were Robert James Livingston and Susanna (née Smith) Livingston (sister of Chief Justice William Smith and daughter of Judge William Smith). Julia's mother was the only daughter and sole heiress of Gov. Morgan Lewis and Gertrude (née Livingston) Lewis. Together, they were the parents of four children: * Lewis Livingston Delafield (1834–1883), who married Emily Prime (1840–1909), a granddaughter of banker Nathaniel Prime. * Maturin Livingston Delafield (1836–1917), who married Mary Coleman Livingston (1847–1922), a daughter of Eugene Augustus Livingston. * Julia Livingston Delafield (1837–1914), who did not marry. * Joseph Delafield Jr. (1839–1848), who died young. In 1829, he purchased around of land to build a country seat, known as " Fieldston" (after a family seat in Ireland), on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

, between the southern part of

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York (state), New York, after New York City and Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. The popul ...

and the Spuyten Duyvil, where he built a

lime kiln A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone ( calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this reaction is : CaCO3 + heat → CaO + CO2 This reaction can take p ...

in 1830, providing him with a large income for several years. In 1965, Delafield's grandson,

Edward Coleman Delafield Edward Coleman Delafield (July 10, 1878 – April 21, 1976) was an American banker and soldier who served as president of the Bank of America. Early life Delafield was born on July 10, 1878, in Westhampton, New York. He was a son of Maturin ...

, donated the remaining 13-acre remnant in Riverdale, known as Fieldston Hill, to

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, which renamed it the Delafield Botanical Garden at Columbia University. Delafield died of acute

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

on February 12, 1875, at 475 Fifth Avenue, his home in New York City.

Descendants

Through his son Lewis, he was the grandfather of Lewis Livingston Delafield Jr. (1863–1944), Robert Hare Delafield (1864–1906), and Frederick Prime Delafield (1868–1924). Through his son Maturin, he was the grandfather of Maturin Livingston Delafield Jr. (1869–1929), Joseph Livingston Delafield (1871–1922), John Ross Delafield (1874–1964) (husband of Violetta White Delafield), Julia Livingston (née Delafield) Longfellow (1875–1963),

(1877–1976), Mary Livingston (née Delafield) Finch (1878–1961), Harriet Coleman (née Delafield) Carter (1880–1953), and Eugene Livingston Delafield (1882–1930).

References

;Notes ;Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Delafield, Joseph 1790 births 1875 deaths American militiamen in the War of 1812 Yale College alumni American lawyers Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery Cornell family American militia officers Delafield family