James Otis (October 12, 1836 – July 22, 1898) was a Republican 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 a society leader during the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...

Early life

Otis was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on October 12, 1836, as a member of the prominent Boston Brahmin

Otis family The Otis family is a Boston Brahmin family from Massachusetts best known for its involvement in early American politics. History The family was originally landowning farmers of Glastonbury, Somerset, the Otises went to New England during the Puri ...

. He was the son of James William Otis (1800–1869) and Martha (

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 ...

Church) Otis. His elder brother was William Church Otis, who married Margaret Sigourney (their daughter Violet was married to

William Greenough Thayer William Greenough Thayer (December 24, 1863 – November 27, 1934) was an American educator, headmaster of St. Mark's School from 1894 to 1930. Early life Thayer was born in New Brighton, Richmond County, New York, the son of Robert Helyer Thay ...

). He was the grandson of Harrison Gray Otis, a

U.S. 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

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from Massachusetts who was one of the wealthiest men of Boston during his time, and a great-grandson of

Samuel Allyne Otis Samuel Allyne Otis (November 24, 1740 – April 22, 1814) was the first Secretary of the United States Senate, serving for its first 25 years. He also served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and was a delegate to the Confederation C ...

, a delegate from Massachusetts to the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...

who served as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the 1st

Secretary of the United States Senate The secretary of the Senate is an officer of the United States Senate. The secretary supervises an extensive array of offices and services to expedite the day-to-day operations of that body. The office is somewhat analogous to that of the clerk ...

. He was also the granduncle of

Sigourney Thayer Sigourney Thayer (March 24, 1896 – November 2, 1944) was an American theatrical producer, World War I aviator, and poet. Early life Thayer was born in Southborough, Massachusetts, the son of Rev. William Greenough Thayer (1863–1934), headma ...

, the theatrical producer, and Robert Helyer Thayer, the U.S. Minister to Romania under

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

Career

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 th ...

, Otis was a member of the

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 (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

, achieving the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

with the 22nd New York Regiment. He began his career working as an East Indian commission broker. In 1878, he was an unsuccessful candidate to represent New York's 1st District in 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 ...

. In

1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Ja ...

, he was elected as a Republican to represent New York's 1st Senate District (comprising

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

and

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

counties) in the

during the 107th and

108th New York State Legislature The 108th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to May 22, 1885, during the first year of David B. Hill's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provision ...

s, which was during the second and third year of

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

's governorship. During his time in the Legislature, he served alongside cousin

Norton P. Otis Norton Prentiss Otis (March 18, 1840 – February 20, 1905) was a U.S. Representative from New York. Biography Otis was born in Halifax, Vermont. His father was Elisha Otis, inventor of the safety elevator and a descendant of the Otis family th ...

, who represented Westchester County in the

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

. Norton later represented New York's 19th congressional district in the House of Representatives.

Society life

In 1892, the widower Otis and several of his relatives, including his unmarried daughter

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...

and grand-nephew

J. Wadsworth Ritchie James Wadsworth Ritchie (May 24, 1861 – March 22, 1924) was an American sportsman and rancher who was prominent in New York Society during the Gilded Age. Early life Ritchie was born on May 24, 1861, in Geneseo, New York. He was the son of ...

, were included in Ward McAllister's "

Four Hundred 400 (four hundred) is the natural number following 399 and preceding 401. Mathematical properties 400 is the square of 20. 400 is the sum of the powers of 7 from 0 to 3, thus making it a repdigit in base 7 (1111). A circle is divided into ...

", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in ''

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''. Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into

Mrs. Astor Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn Astor (September 22, 1830 – October 30, 1908) was a prominent American socialite of the second half of the 19th century who led the The Four Hundred (1892), Four Hundred. Famous for being referred to later ...

's ballroom. Otis, who spent his summers in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, was a member of the Union League and Seawanhaka Yacht Club, and was known for many years a famous cotillion leader, bon vivant and raconteur.

Personal life

Otis was married to Mary Adelia Ludlum (d. 1890), daughter of Nicholas Ludlum. They had a large country home and estate in Bellport on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

known as "Near-the-Bay" and a home in New York City at 22 East 10th Street near Tompkins Square Park. Together, they were the parents of: * Mary Ludlum "May" Otis (1866–1946), who married Robert R. Livingston Clarkson (1855–1924), the son of Levinus Clarkson and Mary (née Livingston) Clarkson (daughter of Lt. Gov. of New York

Edward Philip Livingston Edward Philip Livingston (November 24, 1779 in Kingston, Jamaica – November 3, 1843 in Clermont, New York) was an American politician. Early life He was the son of Philip Philip Livingston (1741–1787, son of Philip Livingston) and Sara (J ...

), on November 6, 1886. * James Otis Jr., who predeceased his father. * Martha Otis, who married banker George Munroe, and lived in Paris and married in 1889. * Sarah Birdsall "Birdsall" Otis (1872–1940), an active campaigner for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. She served as president of the

Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized a ...

from 1930–35. She married Frederick Edey, a member of the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...

, in 1893. Otis died from congestion of the lungs on July 22, 1898, at his home in Bellport on

. His funeral was held at Christ Chapel in Bellport and he was interred in the family vault in the Bellport Cemetery.

Descendants

Through his daughter Mary, he was the grandfather of James Otis Clarkson (1888–1951), Mary Adelia Clarkson (1889–1976), Pauline Livingston Clarkson (1892–1983), and Elizabeth Clarkson (1896–1956).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otis, James 1836 births 1898 deaths Otis family Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Bellport, New York People included in New York Society's Four Hundred 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople