Leendert "Leonard" Gansevoort (July 14, 1751 – August 26, 1810) was an American political leader from New York who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1788.

Early life

He was born in 1751 in Albany County, New York to Harmen Gansevoort (1712–1801) and Magdalena Douw Gansevoort (1718–1796), both from prominent Dutch families. He was the younger brother of Brig. Gen. Peter Gansevoort (1749–1812). Gansevoort's ancestors had been in Albany since 1660, when it was the Dutch colony of

Fort Orange Fort Orange ( nl, Fort Oranje) was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland; the present-day city of Albany, New York developed at this site. It was built in 1624 as a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on nearb ...

, and

Harmen Harmense Gansevoort Harmen Harmense Gansevoort ( – July 23, 1709) was an early American settler, brewer, landowner, and patriarch of the Gansevoort family. Early life Harmen Harmense Gansevoort was born ca. 1634 in Dersum, Prince-Bishopric of Münster, Holy Ro ...

(ca. 1634–1709) owned a brewery and farms. His brother's son, Peter Gansevoort, Herman Gansevoort (1779–1862) built the Gansevoort Mansion in 1813 on his father's tract at Gansevoort in

Saratoga County, New York Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, representing a 7.2% increase from the 2010 popu ...

. His father was the third of his family's generation in America, who were prominent brewers and merchants in Albany. His mother was descended from the

Van Rensselaer family The Van Rensselaer family () is a family of Dutch descent that was prominent during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries in the area now known as the state of New York. Members of this family played a critical role in the formation of the Unite ...

as her mother, Anna Van Rensselaer, was a daughter of

Hendrick van Rensselaer Hendrick van Rensselaer (October 23, 1667 – July 4, 1740) was director of the Eastern patent of the Rensselaerswyck manor. The estate was composed of land in Columbia County, New York, and land opposite Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, ...

(1667–1740), who had married Peter Douw. In addition, his first cousin, Leonard Gansevoort (1754–1834), an Albany lawyer and alderman, was married to Maria Van Rensselaer (1760–1841), the daughter of Col. Kiliaen van Rensselaer (1717–1781), the granddaughter of

and the sister of Henry K. Van Rensselaer (1744–1816), Philip Kiliaen van Rensselaer (1747–1798), and Killian K. Van Rensselaer (1763–1845).

Career

After the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, he became a member of the Albany

Committee of Correspondence The committees of correspondence were, prior to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, a collection of American political organizations that sought to coordinate opposition to British Parliament and, later, support for American independe ...

serving as treasurer until November 1775. When the 2nd New York Provincial Congress convened in New York City on December 6, 1775, he was one of the twelve deputies elected by the Albany Committee. He wrote to his brother,

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

on October 31, 1775, stating:

''"Dr Brother
I can hardly express my Distress upon receiving a Letter from Mr James Van Rensselaer acquainting me with your indisposition and that you in consequence thereof had been obliged to leave Chanblee and that you was then in Coll: Biddels Camp on the North side of St John's; every thing seem'd to consire to confirm me in the Opinion that you must have been very ill you cannot be ignorant of the Emotions in my Breast when you consider that Fraternal Affection which has always subsisted between us, and in what Manner I must have also felt when prompted by Duty I communicated the Contents of the Letter to our Joint Parents, I was oblig'd to meliorate the News by telling them that your indisposition was the Fever Ague but do assure you that upon reading the Letter from the same Gent. to Mr Philip Van Rensselaer that tho' you was then yet pretty Weak you was greatly recovered, I seem'd to be rais'd from the lowest Abyss of dispondence to the highest pinnacle of Hope and I will leave you to reflect how industrious I was to communicate it to the old people - I beg Dear Brother as you Love your Friends who are under the greatest uneasiness yet that you will write us a Line if you are able, and if not procure some one to write for you - and beg further that if you are not recovered on receipt of this that you will apply for leave to come down and write me before you set out that I may meet you on your Way - I should have been up with you already If I could possibly have obtained leave of Hetty
We are well I am Your loving Brother
Leonard Gansevoort
Albany Octr 31 1774
To Peter Gansevoort Junr Esqr rovincial Camp at St Johns''

He was also appointed to the 3rd and 4th Provincial Congresses in 1776 and 1777, where the Constitution of the State of New York was adopted on April 20, 1777. From April 18, 1777 to May 14, 1777, he was the president of the New York Provincial Congress committee of safety.Launitz-Schurer, Leopold, ''Loyal Whigs and Revolutionaries, The making of the revolution in New York, 1765-1776'' Following the end of Revolution in 1789, he bought a country house and estate known as Whitehall, which was located a mile and a half from Albany, from John Bradstreet Schuyler, the son of

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 18, 1804) was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler. Born in Alb ...

. Gansevoort was known for his entertainment of many prominent state and national political figures. In 1778 and 1779, he served as a member of the New York State Assembly. Early in his political career he was aligned with the patrician group of the large estates owners and commercial interests, but later became involved with the early evolution of the Democratic Party in New York. He served in the State Assembly again from 1787 to 1788 and in the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

from 1791 to 1793 and 1796–1802, where he was chairman of the committee, as a Federalist. In 1794, he was appointed a colonel in the

New York 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 ...

. From 1794 to 1797 he was a judge in Albany. From 1799 to 1810, he was a judge of the court of probates.

Personal life

On April 10, 1770, he married Hester Cuyler (1748–1826), the daughter of Abraham Cuyler, Jr. (1713–1749), a cousin of Abraham Cuyler, and Jannetje Beekman (1719–1798), a descendant of

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 ...

(1623–1707). Together, they had: * Magdalena Gansevoort (b. 1771) * Catharina Gansevoort (b. 1772) * Abraham Cuyler Gansevoort (b. 1775) * Magdalena Gansevoort (1777–1863), who married Jacob Ten Eyck (1771–1862), on March 6, 1795, the son of Abraham Ten Eyck and grandson of Mayor Jacob Coenraedt Ten Eyck. * Catharine Cuyler Gansevoort (1789–1853), who married Teunis Van Vechten (1785–1859), nephew of

Abraham Van Vechten Abraham Van Vechten (December 5, 1762 – January 6, 1837) was an American lawyer and a Federalist politician who served twice as New York State Attorney General. Early life Abraham Van Vechten was born on December 5, 1762, in Catskill, Alban ...

He died in 1810 at home in Albany and was buried in

Albany Rural Cemetery The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Colonie, New York, United States, just outside the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the U.S., at over . Many historical A ...

Descendants

Through his daughter, Magdalena, he was the grandfather of Hester Gansevoort Ten Eyck (1796–1861), Abraham Gansevoort Ten Eyck (1798–1830), Leonard Gansevoort Ten Eyck (1801–1881), Jacob L. Ten Eyck (1804–1875), and Herman Gansevoort Ten Eyck (1806–1881), and Peter Gansevoort Ten Eyck (1810–1891). Through his daughter, Catharine, he was the grandfather of Elizabeth Ann Van Vechten (1812–1812), Leonard Gansevoort Van Vechten (1813–1837), Hester Elizabeth Van Vechten Trotter (1815–1881), Teunis Van Vechten (1819–1859), Cuyler Van Vechten (1823–1825), and Cuyler Van Vechten (1830–1875). He was also the great-uncle of ''Moby Dick'' author Herman Melville.

References

;Notes ;Sources * Kenney, Alice P.; ''The Gansevoorts of Albany: Dutch Patricians in the Upper Hudson Valley''; 1969, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, New York, . * Kenney, Alice P.; ''Stubborn for Liberty: The Dutch in New York''; 1975, Syracuse University Press, . (1989 Paperback: ) * Launitz-Schurer, Leopold, ''Loyal Whigs and Revolutionaries, The making of the revolution in New York, 1765-1776'', 1980,

External links

Leonard Gansevoort Congressional Biography
at the New York State Library, accessed May 16, 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gansevoort, Leonard 18th-century American politicians 1751 births 1810 deaths Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery Continental Congressmen from New York (state)

Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek Λέων ("lion") through the Latin '' L ...

Members of the New York Provincial Congress Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators

Cuyler family