Mordecai Myers (May 31, 1776 – January 20, 1871) was a Jewish-American merchant, army officer, and politician from New York.

Life

Myers was born on May 31, 1776 in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

. His father died that year, and in 1780 he moved to

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

with his family following the British evacuation from Newport. When the British acknowledged American independence in 1783, the family followed the Tories to

Nova Scotia, Canada Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Engl ...

and lived there for a few years. He returned to New York City in 1787, and in 1789 he witnessed the

first inauguration of George Washington The first inauguration of George Washington as the first president of the United States was held on Thursday, April 30, 1789, on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, New York. The inauguration was held nearly two months after the begin ...

. Myers entered business as a young man and spent some time storekeeping with a partner in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. While there, he joined a military command under future Chief Justice of the United States

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

and had a hand in building the

Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome ( he, קהל קדוש בית שלום) (Congregation Holy House of Peace) was the first synagogue built in Richmond, Virginia; it was also the first Sephardic Kahal in Virginia. The creation of this community was a natura ...

. Finding scant success in business, he returned to New York City. While there, he became a member of the

New York Manumission Society The New-York Manumission Society was an American organization founded in 1785 by U.S. Founding Father John Jay, among others, to promote the gradual abolition of slavery and manumission of slaves of African descent within the state of New York. ...

and

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

. Following the advice of future Governor

Daniel D. Tompkins Daniel D. Tompkins (June 21, 1774 – June 11, 1825) was an American politician. He was the fifth governor of New York from 1807 to 1817, and the sixth vice president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. Born in Scarsdale, New York, Tompkins ...

, he began receiving military training under General De La Croix, one of Napoleon's generals. He was shortly afterwards commissioned a lieutenant, then a captain, of the first company of Col. Beekman's infantry regiment, the Seventh Regiment. He also did duty as major when the previous major died. Shortly afterwards, he became a captain in the 13th Infantry. He was twice wounded while fighting in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, and while leading his men at the Battle of Crysler's Farm he was so badly wounded at the shoulder that 30 splinters had to be removed and he gave instruction for his internment and the disposal of his body. Myers served in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

, representing New York County in

1829 Events January–March * January 19 – August Klingemann's adaptation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's ''Faust'' premieres in Braunschweig. * February 27 – Battle of Tarqui: Troops of Gran Colombia and Peru battle to a draw. * March ...

1831 Events January–March * January 1 – William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing '' The Liberator'', an anti-slavery newspaper, in Boston, Massachusetts. * January 10 – Japanese department store, Takashimaya in Kyoto establ ...

1832 Events January–March * January 6 – Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison founds the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. * January 13 – The Christmas Rebellion of slaves is brought to an end in Jamaica, after the island's white plan ...

1833 Events January–March * January 3 – Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (1833), Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. * February 6 – His Royal Highness Prince Otto ...

, and

1834 Events January–March * January – The Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad is chartered in Wilmington, North Carolina. * January 1 – Zollverein (Germany): Customs charges are abolished at borders within its member states. * January 3 � ...

. While in the Assembly, he served as Chairman of the Committee on Militia and Public Defense and secured the right for

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

to decline military service (which until then was compulsory for all citizens regardless of religion). In 1836, he moved to Kinderhook and lived there for the next eight years. He returned to New York City due to financial reverses and spent some time in Chelsea. While living in Kinderhook, he was elected village president and, in that capacity, received and addressed Martin Van Buren upon his return to the village at the end of his term as President of the United States. He moved to

Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

in 1848 and lived there for the rest of his life. He was elected mayor of Schenectady in 1851 and 1854. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress in 1860 at the age of 84. Myers joined the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

in 1795. He was a charter member and first junior warden of a lodge in 1800 and served as its president in 1802, 1804, and 1805. He was Grand Marshal of the

Grand Lodge of New York The Grand Lodge of New York (officially, the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York) is the largest and oldest independent organization of Freemasons in the U.S. state of New York. It was at one time the largest grand ...

for many years and served as Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements for the Masonic reception given to the Marquis de Lafayette during his visit to America in 1824. He served as Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge from 1829 to 1835 and was virtually the Grand Master, but he declined a nomination to serve as Grand Master and favored Morgan Lewis for the position. He was Grand Master of the Phillips Grand Lodge from 1852 to 1856 and the first Master of the Aurora Grata Lodge of Perfection. He was also a member of the Royal Arch Masonry, serving as Deputy Grand High Priest from 1831 to 1833 and as Grand High Priest in 1834. Myers was a member of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City by 1792, served as a trustee of the congregation from 1800 to 1805, and donated a large sum towards the construction of a new congregation in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

. But following his marriage to a non-Jewish woman, he ceased his involvement with the Jewish community. While recovering from his wounds from the War of 1812, he was nursed back to health by Charlotte Bailey, the daughter of Judge William Bailey of

Plattsburgh Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...

, the sister of Admiral Theodorus Bailey, and the niece of Senator Theodorus Bailey and Chancellor

James Kent James Kent may refer to: *James Kent (jurist) (1763–1847), American jurist and legal scholar * James Kent (composer) (1700–1776), English composer *James Kent, better known as Perturbator, French electronic/synthwave musician *James Tyler Kent ...

. married in 1814. Their children included Charlotte (wife of architect Thomas R. Jackson), Kate, Henrietta (wife of Peter S. Hoes), Louisa, Edward, Mills, Theodore, Fannie (wife of Edgar M. Jenkins), and Colonel Theodorus Bailey. They had ten children. Myers died in Schenectady on January 20, 1871. He was buried in his family plot at Vale Cemetery. His tombstone was designed by his son-in-law Thomas R. Jackson.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Mordecai (New York politician) 1776 births 1871 deaths 18th-century American Jews 19th-century American Jews Jewish American military personnel Jewish American state legislators in New York (state) Politicians from Newport, Rhode Island Military personnel from Richmond, Virginia Politicians from Richmond, Virginia 19th-century American merchants 19th-century American politicians Politicians from Manhattan Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly People from Kinderhook, New York People from Chelsea, Manhattan Mayors of Schenectady, New York American Freemasons Military personnel from New York City United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 People from New York (state) in the War of 1812 Burials in New York (state)