Philip Dorsheimer (April 15, 1797 – April 11, 1868) was a German born American politician.

Early life

Dorsheimer was born on April 15, 1797 in

Wöllstein Wöllstein is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a '' Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location The municipality lies in Rhenis ...

, then in the Mont-Tonnerre Department, which is now in

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Career

He came to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 1815, and settled in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In 1826, he moved to Lyons, N.Y., and in April 1836 to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. He owned a hotel in Buffalo and became very wealthy. In 1838, he was appointed Postmaster of Buffalo by President

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

. On April 1, 1845, he was appointed again Postmaster of Buffalo by President

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

. Following his appointment,

George W. Clinton Hon. George William Clinton (April 21, 1807 – September 7, 1885) was a New York lawyer, politician, judge, author, and amateur naturalist. He served as Mayor of Buffalo, New York from 1842 to 1843. Early life and family Clinton was born on Ap ...

wrote to President Polk on April 9, 1845 indicating that there were reports that the people of Buffalo reacted unfavorably to Dorsheimer's appointment as postmaster. He had been always 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 ...

, but joined the Republican Party upon its foundation. He was a delegate to the

1856 Republican National Convention The 1856 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met from June 17 to June 19 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the first national nominating convention of the Republican Party, which had been founded two ...

. He was New York State Treasurer from 1860 to 1861. While treasurer, he hosted first lady-elect,

Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) served as First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Mary Lincoln was a member of a large and wealthy, slave-owning ...

, in a suite at the

Astor House The Astor House was a luxury hotel in New York City. Located on the corner of Broadway and Vesey Street in what is now the Civic Center and Tribeca neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan, it opened in 1836 and soon became the best-known hotel in Ame ...

while she was visiting New York. During the

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states t ...

, as Treasurer, Dorsheimer, along with Governor Edwin D. Morgan, awarded the clothing firm of

Brooks Brothers Brooks Brothers, founded in Manhattan, New York, in 1818, is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in America. Originally a family business, Brooks Brothers produces clothing for men, women and children, as well as home furnishings. B ...

the contract for the manufacture of 12,000

Union army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

uniforms. From 1862 to 1864, he was Inland Tax Collector at Buffalo.

Personal life

On August 23, 1821, he was married Sarah Gorgas (1802–1867). She was the daughter of Jacob Gorgas and Christina Maria ( née Mack) Gorgas. Together, they were the parents of: * Elizabeth Dorsheimer (1828–1915), who married Henry Clifton (1820-1877). *

William Dorsheimer William Dorsheimer (February 5, 1832 in Lyons, Wayne County, New York – March 26, 1888 in Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia) was an American lawyer, journalist, newspaper publisher, and politician. Early life Dorsheimer was born on February ...

(1832–1888), who served as Lieutenant Governor of New York. * Charles Dorsheimer (b. 1834) Dorsheimer died on April 11, 1868. He was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.

References

;Sources

Bios of German-Americans in Buffalo, with photo (giving as birthplace "Weistein", a misspelling of "Wollstein")

Political Graveyard

Dorsheimer genealogy (giving as birthplace "Dondersberg" - a variant spelling of Donnersberg, translated to Mont-Tonnerre in French, "Canton Wollstein" - cantons are the divisions of the départements)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dorsheimer, Philip 1797 births 1868 deaths New York State Treasurers Politicians from Buffalo, New York German emigrants to the United States People from Lyons, New York Politicians from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania New York (state) postmasters 19th-century American politicians New York (state) Democrats New York (state) Republicans