Peter Gansevoort (December 22, 1788 – January 4, 1876) was an American politician 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 * '' ...

Early life

Peter Gansevoort was the son of Gen.

Peter Gansevoort Peter Gansevoort (July 17, 1749 – July 2, 1812) was a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for leading the resistance to Barry St. Leger's Siege of Fort Stanwix in 1777. Gansevoort was also ...

(1749–1812) and Catherine (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Van Schaick) Gansevoort.

Leonard Gansevoort 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 Ga ...

(1751–1810) was his uncle, and author

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American people, American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his bes ...

(1819–1891) and Commodore

Guert Gansevoort Commodore Guert Gansevoort (7 June 1812 – 15 July 1868) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Biography He was born into an aristocratic Dutch American family in Gansevoort, New Yo ...

(1812–1868) were his nephews. He attended

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

from 1804 to 1805,Friends of the Princeton University Library
''The Princeton University Library Chronicle''
Volumes 13-14, 1952, page 69 graduated

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from the College of New Jersey in 1808. He studied law with

Harmanus Bleecker Harmanus Bleecker (October 9, 1779 – July 19, 1849) was an attorney in Albany, New York. A Federalist, he is most notable for his service as a member of the New York State Assembly, a United States representative from New York, and Chargé ...

, attended

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Wh ...

from 1808 to 1809, graduated

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from the College of New Jersey in 1811, was admitted to the bar in 1811, and practiced in Albany.

Career

From 1817 to 1819, he was the private secretary of Gov.

DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and naturalist. He served as a United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the seventh governor of New York. In this last capacity, he was largely res ...

. From 1819 to 1821, he served as the Judge Advocate General of the

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 ...

. He was a member of 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 ...

(Albany Co.) in

1830 It is known in European history as a rather tumultuous year with the Revolutions of 1830 in France, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Italy. Events January–March * January 11 – LaGrange College (later the University of North Alabama) b ...

and 1831. Gansevoort was 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 ...

(3rd D.) from 1833 to 1836, sitting in the 56th, 57th, 58th and

59th New York State Legislature The 59th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to May 26, 1836, during the fourth year of William L. Marcy's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the pro ...

s. From 1843 to 1847, he was First Judge of the Albany County Court. He was a director of the New York State Bank from about 1832 until his death; and a trustee of

The Albany Academy The Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school for boys in Albany, New York, USA, enrolling students from Preschool (age 3) to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Renssela ...

from 1826 until his death, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1856.

Personal life

In 1833, he married Mary Sanford (1814–1841), a daughter of Chancellor

Nathan Sandford Nathan Sanford (November 5, 1777 – October 17, 1838) was an American politician. Early life Sanford was born on November 5, 1777, in Bridgehampton, New York. He was the son of Thomas Sanford and Phebe ( née Baker) Sanford, a family of far ...

, and they had four children, two of whom died in infancy, leaving two who survived into adulthood: * Henry Sanford Gansevoort (1835–1871), a Union Army General * Catherine Gansevoort, who married State Senator

Abraham Lansing Abraham Lansing (February 27, 1835 – October 4, 1899) was an American lawyer and politician. Early life Abraham Lansing was born in Albany, Albany County, New York. He was the son of Christopher Yates Lansing (1796–1872) and Caroline Mar ...

(a nephew of her stepmother) in 1873 After the death of his wife in 1841, he married Susan Lansing (1804–1874) in December 1843. He died on January 4, 1876, and was buried at the

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 ...

Menands, New York Menands is a village in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 3,990 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Louis Menand. The village lies inside the town of Colonie and borders the northern city line of Albany. H ...

References

Sources

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 129ff, 141, 209f, 275 and 358; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
''A Herman Melville Encyclopedia''
by Robert L. Gale (Greenwood Press, Westport CT, 1995; ; the Gansevoorts, pg. 149 to 159)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gansevoort, Peter 19th-century American politicians 1788 births 1876 deaths Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery Peter 1788 Lawyers from Albany, New York Litchfield Law School alumni Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) Jacksonians New York (state) state senators New York (state) state court judges Politicians from Albany, New York Princeton University alumni

Lansing family