Samuel Riker (April 8, 1743 – May 19, 1823) was an American politician and a member of the

United States 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 ...

for

New York's 1st congressional district The 1st congressional district of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in eastern Long Island. It includes the eastern two-thirds of Suffolk County, including most of Smithtown, as well as the ent ...

from 1804 to 1805 and again from 1807 to 1809.

Early life

He was born on April 8, 1743, in Newtown on Long Island in what was then the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the U ...

into a family of Dutch origin. He was a son of Andrew Riker (1699–1762) and Jane ( née Berrien) Riker (1703–1775). His great-grandfather Abraham Ryker (1619–1689) was born in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and settled in

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 ...

Career

After Riker attended the common schools, he was a member of the Newtown committee of correspondence in 1774, and was supervisor of Suffolk County in 1783. He was the

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

of Light Horse during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. Samuel Riker was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1784. He was elected as 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 ...

to the Eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Smith. He served from November 5, 1804, to March 3, 1805. He was also elected to the Tenth Congress, which met from March 4, 1807, to March 3, 1809.

Personal life

Riker was married to Anna Lawrence (1749–1833). Anna was a daughter of Joseph Lawrence and a niece of merchant and New York State Senator Jonathan Lawrence. Among her cousins were Samuel,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, and William T. Lawrence. Together, they were the parents of: * Joseph Lawrence Riker (1770–1796), a sailor who died in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. * Andrew Riker (1771–1817) * Richard Riker (1773–1842), the

Recorder of New York City The Recorder of New York City was a municipal officer of New York City from 1683 until 1907. He was at times a judge of the Court of General Sessions, the Court of Special Sessions, and the New York Court of Common Pleas; Vice-President of the Boar ...

who married Jennet Phoenix, a daughter of Treasurer Daniel Phoenix (1737–1812). * Abraham Riker (1776–1821), who married Harriet Pierson. * Patience Riker (1778–1851), who married John Lawrence (1758–1817) in 1802. * Samuel Riker (1780–1811), a lawyer. * Jane Margaret Riker (1782–1868), who married merchant John Thom. After his death, she married Irish-American physician

William James MacNeven William James MacNeven (also sometimes rendered as MacNevin or McNevin) (21 March 1763 Ballinahown, near Aughrim, Co. Galway, Ireland - 12 July 1841 New York City) was an Irish physician forced, as a result of his involvement with insurgent Uni ...

. * Anna Elvira Riker (1785–1860), who married Douwe Ditmars. * John Lawrence Riker (1787–1861), who married Maria Smith. He died in Newtown in Long Island on May 19, 1823. He was interred in the Dutch Reformed Cemetery.

Descendants

Through his daughter Patience, he was a grandfather of Patience Riker Lawrence (wife of Timothy Gridley Churchill) and a great-grandfather of Jane Lawrence Churchill, who married Henry Y. Satterlee, the Episcopal Bishop of

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 ...

,Dr. Satterlee is Chosen"
''New York Times.'' December 7, 1895.Dr. Satterlee consecrated as Bishop of Washington"
''New York Times.'' March 22, 1896.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riker, Samuel Members of the New York State Assembly American people of Dutch descent 1743 births 1823 deaths People from Elmhurst, Queens Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)