Volkert Petrus Douw (March 23, 1720 – March 20, 1801) was a merchant and politician from

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

who was prominent both during colonial times and after the United States was established.

Early life

Douw was born on March 23, 1720 in

. He was the only surviving son of nine children born to Petrus Douw (1692–1775), of an old Dutch family, and Anna ( née Van Rensselaer) Douw (1696–1756). His siblings included Magdalena Douw (1718–1796), who married Harmen Gansevoort (1712–1801), Maria Douw (1725–1759), who married Johannes Gansevoort, and Rachel Douw (1736–1806). His maternal grandparents were

Hendrick van Rensselaer Hendrick van Rensselaer (October 23, 1667 – July 4, 1740) was director of the Eastern patent of the Rensselaerswyck manor. The estate was composed of land in Columbia County, New York, and land opposite Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, ...

(1667–1740), director of

Fort Crailo The Crailo State Historic Site (also known as Fort Crailo and Yankee Doodle House) is a historic, fortified brick manor house in Rensselaer, New York which was built in 1707. The word ''Crailo'' is derived from ''kraaien bos'' (Dutch for "crow's w ...

, the Eastern patent of the

Rensselaerswyck The Manor of Rensselaerswyck, Manor Rensselaerswyck, Van Rensselaer Manor, or just simply Rensselaerswyck ( nl, Rensselaerswijck ), was the name of a colonial estate—specifically, a Dutch patroonship and later an English manor—owned by the va ...

manor, and Catharina Van Brugh, herself the daughter of merchant Johannes Pieterse Van Brugh (1624–1697) and sister of

Pieter Van Brugh Pieter Van Brugh (1666 – July 1740) was the Mayor of Albany, New York from 1699 to 1700 and from 1721 to 1723. Early life and family Pieter Van Brugh was a member of the Dutch aristocracy of Albany. Pieter Van Brugh was the oldest son of J ...

(1666–1740), mayor of Albany from 1699 to 1700 and again from 1721 to 1723. Through his sister Maria, he was uncle to Brig. 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 State Senator and Assemblymen

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 ...

(1751–1810).

Career

He worked as a skipper on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

but eventually returned to Albany to run the family store. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

, or the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

as it was known in the colonies, which took place from 1754 to 1763, he was a Captain of the Colonial Militia and the first Judge of Albany County Court, serving from 1757 to 1775. From 1750 to 1760, he was City Recorder (Deputy Mayor) of Albany. In 1760, Douw was appointed as mayor of

, serving from 1761 to 1770, following Sybrant Gozen Van Schaick. He was succeeded by Abraham Cuyler. From 1761 until the 1780s, he was a member of the Colonial General Assembly of New York. In 1774, and again in 1775, he served as

Commissioner of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and ...

in for 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 ...

. During the first

New York Provincial Congress The New York Provincial Congress (1775–1777) was a revolutionary provisional government formed by colonists in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-American alternative to the more conservative New York General Assembly, and as a repla ...

, which was convened in New York City on May 22, 1775, Douw served as vice-president with

Peter Van Brugh Livingston Peter Van Brugh Livingston (bp. November 3, 1710 Albany, New York – December 28, 1792 Elizabethtown, Union County, New Jersey) was a Patriot during the American Revolution who was a wealthy merchant and who served as the 1st New York State Tre ...

as president. 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 ...

, he was a member of the Albany

Committee of Correspondence The committees of correspondence were, prior to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, a collection of American political organizations that sought to coordinate opposition to British Parliament and, later, support for American independe ...

. Following the establishment of

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 ...

, Douw served in the new government as a member of the New York State Senate, beginning on July 1, 1785 serving in the 9th,

10th 10 (ten) is the even natural number following 9 and preceding 11. Ten is the base of the decimal numeral system, by far the most common system of denoting numbers in both spoken and written language. It is the first double-digit number. The re ...

11th 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first atteste ...

, 12th,

13th In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave pl ...

, 14th, 15th, and 16th New York State Legislatures. He retired from the Senate on June 30, 1793 after representing one of five seats for the Western District which consisted of Albany, Montgomery, Herkimer,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Otsego, Saratoga and Tioga counties. Following

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

's Ratifying Convention in June 1788, where they became the tenth state to ratify the United States Constitution, New York held their Convention held in

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

in July 1788 presided by Gov. George Clinton. Despite Douw's vote against ratification, New York became the eleventh state to ratify on July 26, 1788. By 1790, his household owned 14 slaves.

Personal life

On May 20, 1742, Douw was married to Anna De Peyster (1723–1794), the daughter of Johannes de Peyster III (1694–1783), who also served as mayor of Albany. They built a home in the country known as Wolvenhook, located on the eastern bank of the

, about a mile below Albany. Together, they were the parents of nine children, including: * Anna Douw (1743–1774), who married Dirck Ten Broeck (1738–1780), son of Mayor

Dirck Ten Broeck Dirck Ten Broeck (November 3, 1765 – January 30, 1833) was an American lawyer and politician. The first name is sometimes given as Derick. Early life He was the only son of Abraham Ten Broeck (1734–1810) and Elizabeth (née Van Rensselaer) ...

, in 1761. * Rachel Douw (1745–1799), who married Henry I. Van Renssselaer (1742–1813), son of Johannes Van Rensselaer and Angelica Livingston, in 1765. * Myndert Schuyler Douw (1746–1747), who died young. * Magdalena Douw (1750–1817), who married John Stevenson (1734–1810), a wealthy loyalist merchant, in 1770. * Catrina Douw (1751–1775), who married Harmanis Hoffman. * Johannes "John" De Peyster Douw (1756–1835), who married three times; first to Deborah Beeckman (1763–1791), daughter of Mayor Johannes Jacobse Beeckman, in 1787, then to Margaret Livingston (1768–1802), daughter of Col. Peter Robert Livingston (1737–1794) and granddaughter of Robert Livingston, 3rd Lord of Livingston Manor, in 1795, and lastly to Catherine Douw Gansevoort (1782–1848), daughter of Leonard Gansevoort, Jr. and Maria Van Rensselaer (1760–1841), in 1811. * Maria Douw (1760–1818), who married her cousin, John De Peyster Ten Eyck (1756–1798), the son of Tobias Coenraedt Ten Eyck, in 1782. He was a lifelong friend of General

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 18, 1804) was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler. Born in Alb ...

, and after his death it was said of him that he was "a true patriot; in civil and domestic relations, he was considered a pattern, and no man in Albany died more regretted." He was described as:

He was tall and dignified, standing six feet two inches, as straight as an arrow; said by some to be handsome. He had a clean-shaven face, exposing a firm mouth and piercing eyes. He wore his hair in peculiar fashion, probably common to others of his standing in those times, tied in a queue, with his front hair brushed back in severe lines and powdered. He usually wore a longwaisted coat, the skirts reaching nearly to his ankles, which was adorned with large silver buttons made from Spanish coins. Knee breeches, silk stockings, and shoes with silver buckles shining, these set with rhinestones, heightened the general effect; but more prominent than these was his cocked hat. He carried a silver-headed cane, and bore a turnipshaped, silver watch, from which hung a heavy seal, while his tobacco or snuff-box was engraved with initials and coat-of-arms.

Douw died on March 20, 1801 in Albany. He 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 ...

Descendants

Through his son John, who was close friends with the

Marquis de Lafayette 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 ...

, he was the grandfather of Volckert Peter Douw (1790–1869), Anna De Peyster Douw Cuyler (1798–1871), Margaret Livingston Douw Abbe (1798–1878), John De Peyster Douw (1812–1901), Catharine Louisa Douw Townsend (1817–1891), and Harriet Maria Douw Johnson (1824–1852). Through his daughter Magdalena, he was the grandfather of James Stevenson (1788–1852), who also served as mayor of Albany from 1826 to 1828.

References

External links