Moses I. Cantine (January 18, 1774 - January 24, 1823) was an American politician, judge and newspaper editor from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. A

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

, he was most notable for his service as a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

and First Judge of the Greene County Court.

Biography

Cantine was born in Marbletown,

Ulster County, New York Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. History ...

on January 18, 1774, a son of Johannes and Maria (Brodhead) Cantine. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1796, studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in

Greene County, New York Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,931. Its county seat is Catskill. The county's name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. History ...

. A member of the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

, Cantine served as district attorney of the Third District ( Columbia, Greene and Rensselaer counties) from 1805 to 1806, 1808 to 1810, and 1811 to 1818. He served in the

from 1814 to 1818. He served as First Judge of the Greene County Court from 1818 to 1820. A longtime member of the New York Militia, Cantine served as inspector of the 4th Brigade with the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. During 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 ...

, he served on the northern frontier, the border area between

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. In 1818, he was appointed the militia's judge advocate general with the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. On August 25, 1820, Cantine and Isaac Q. Leake took over the ''Albany Argus'' from

Jesse Buel Jesse Buel (January 4, 1778 – October 6, 1839) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and agricultural reformer. Early life Jesse Buel was born on a farm in Coventry, Connecticut, the youngest of 14 children. At the age of 12 he ...

. In addition to publishing the newspaper, Cantine and Leake received appointment as the official state printers. He died in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

on January 24, 1823. Contemporary news accounts indicate that Cantine died after drinking

Crème de Noyaux Crème de Noyaux () is an almond-flavored crème liqueur, although it is actually made from apricot kernels or the kernels of peach or cherry pits, which provide an almond-like flavor. Both Bols and Hiram Walker produce artificially colored re ...

. This

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

contains trace amounts of

hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen cyanide, sometimes called prussic acid, is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structure . It is a colorless, extremely poisonous, and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on an ...

, and bottles left to age will sometimes have the poison concentrate near the top, posing a risk to the person who takes the first drink after the bottle is opened.

Family

Cantine was married to Christina Hoes (1780-1823), the sister of Martin Van Buren's wife Hannah. They were the parents of two children, Moses Jr. and Christina.

Sources

External links

Moses I. Cantine
at Political Graveyard 1774 births 1823 deaths People from Marbletown, New York Princeton University alumni American militia officers American militiamen in the War of 1812 Martin Van Buren New York (state) Democratic-Republicans New York (state) lawyers New York (state) state senators New York (state) state court judges {{NewYork-NYSenate-stub