Nicholas Fish (August 28, 1758 – June 20, 1833) was an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

soldier. He was the first Adjutant General of New York.

Early life

Fish was born on August 28, 1758 into a wealthy

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 ...

family. He was the son of Jonathan Fish (1728–1779) and Elizabeth ( née Sackett) Fish (d. 1778). His elder sister was Sarah Fish (b. 1755), who married Terrence Riley. He attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

but left before graduating to pursue the study of law at King's College (now

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 ...

) through the office of

John Morin Scott John Morin Scott (1730 – September 14, 1784) was a lawyer, military officer, and statesman before, during and after the American Revolution. Early life Scott was born in Manhattan in 1730. He was the only child of John Scott (1702–1733) ...

in New York. There he became actively interested in the organization of the

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It pl ...

American Revolutionary War

In 1776 he was appointed by then brigadier general Scott aide-de-camp on his staff. On August 21, 1776 Fish was appointed major of the 2nd New York Regiment. He served as a division inspector under Major General von Steuben in 1778. He participated in the battles of Saratoga and Monmouth, in Sullivan's expedition against the Native Americans in 1779, and in the Virginia and Yorktown campaigns, in which he served for a time on the staff of the

Marquis de La Fayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

. At Yorktown, he served as second-in-command to Alexander Hamilton, and commanded Hamilton's New York Battalion in the Assault on Redoubt 10 when Hamilton was given overall command. Along with Hamilton, he served in New York Militia Hearts of Oak (1st Battalion/5th Field Artillery Regiment). Nicholas Fish's portrait can be seen at far right bottom row of John Trumbull's ''

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis The ''Surrender of Lord Cornwallis'' is an oil painting by John Trumbull. The painting was completed in 1820, and hangs in the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The painting depicts the surrender of British Lieutenant ...

'' painting. Fish was an original member of the New York Society of the Cincinnati and served as its president from 1797 to 1804, and from 1805 to 1806. His son,

Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish (August 3, 1808September 7, 1893) was an American politician who served as the 16th Governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, a United States Senator from New York from 1851 to 1857 and the 26th United States Secretary of State ...

, would serve as the Society's President General from 1854 to 1893.

After War Years

In 1786, he was appointed

Adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

, which position he held for many years. In 1794, he was appointed by

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

supervisor of the Federal revenue in New York City. On two occasions, Fish ran unsuccessfully for

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

, losing to Samuel L. Mitchill in 1804 and Gurdon S. Mumford in 1806. Fish also twice ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor of New York. In 1810, he was the Federalist candidate, but lost to incumbent John Broome. Broome subsequently died one month into his term in August 1810. Fish ran in a special election for Lieutenant Governor in 1811 to fill the vacancy created by Broome's death, but lost to the then-mayor of New York City, DeWitt Clinton. During 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 ...

, Fish served as a member of the City Committee of Defense.

Personal life

In 1803, Fish was married to Elizabeth Stuyvesant (1775–1854), the daughter of

Petrus Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...

and Margaret ( née Livingston) Stuyvesant (1738–1818). She was the sister of

Peter Gerard Stuyvesant Peter Gerard Stuyvesant (; September 21, 1778 – August 16, 1847) was an American landowner, philanthropist and descendant of Peter Stuyvesant who was prominent in New York society in the 1600s. Early life Stuyvesant was born in New York City o ...

(both descendants of

the last Dutch

director-general A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'' ) or general director is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer, within a governmen ...

of the colony of

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...

), and the granddaughter of Gilbert Livingston and great-granddaughter of Robert Livingston the Elder. Together, they were the parents of: * Susan Elizabeth Fish (1805–1892), who married Daniel LeRoy (1799–1885). * Margaret Ann Fish (1807–1877), who married John Neilson (1799–1851). *

(1808–1893), who served as

New York Governor The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ha ...

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

,* and who married Julia Ursin Niemcewiez Kean (1816–1887), sister of John Kean and granddaughter of John Kean. * Elizabeth Sarah Fish (1810–1881), who married Richard Lewis Morris (1816–1880), the son of James Morris and Helen Van Cortlandt. * Petrus Stuyvesant Fish (1813–1834), who died young. Fish died in 1833, and was buried in the churchyard of St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery in

Descendants

Through his son Hamilton, he was the grandfather of

Nicholas Fish II Nicholas Fish II (February 19, 1846–September 16, 1902) was a United States diplomat who served as the ambassador to Switzerland from 1877 to 1881 and the ambassador to Belgium from 1882 to 1885. In a widely reported crime of the time know ...

*(1848–1902), a U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and Switzerland,

Hamilton Fish II Hamilton Fish II (April 17, 1849 – January 15, 1936) was an American lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the New York State Assembly and a member of the United States House of Representatives. Early life Fish was born in Albany, N ...

(1849–1936), a

Speaker of the New York State Assembly The speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party. As in most countries with a British heritage, the Speaker (politics), speaker presides o ...

and a member of 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 ...

Stuyvesant Fish Stuyvesant Fish (June 24, 1851 – April 10, 1923) was an American businessman and member of the Fish family who served as president of the Illinois Central Railroad. He owned grand residences in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, entertain ...

(1851–1923), a President of the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also c ...

who married Marion Graves Anthon (1853–1915)., and New York congressmen

Hamilton Fish III Hamilton Fish III (born Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish and also known as Hamilton Fish Jr.; December 7, 1888 – January 18, 1991) was an American soldier and politician from New York State. Born into a family long active in the state, he served in t ...

and Hamilton Fish IV. Through is daughter Elizabeth, he was the grandfather of

Stuyvesant Fish Morris Stuyvesant Fish Morris (August 3, 1843 – May 10, 1928) was an American physician and the progenitor of Manhattan's prominent family of physicians. Early life Morris was born in Manhattan on August 3, 1843. He was a son of Richard Lewis Morris ( ...

(1843–1928), a prominent physician.

References

;Notes ;Sources *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fish, Nicholas 1758 births 1833 deaths Nicholas New York (state) Federalists Continental Army officers from New York (state) Columbia College (New York) alumni Adjutants General of New York (state)