William Denning (April 1740October 30, 1819) was a merchant and

United States 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 ...

from New York.

Early life

Denning was likely born in St. John's in the

Newfoundland Colony Newfoundland Colony was an English and, later, British colony established in 1610 on the island of Newfoundland off the Atlantic coast of Canada, in what is now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. That followed decades of sporadic English ...

in April 1740. As a youth, he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in early youth and engaged in mercantile pursuits.

Career

He was a member of the Committee of One Hundred in 1775, was a delegate to the

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 ...

from 1775 to 1777 and was a member of the convention of State representatives in 1776 and 1777. He served in the New York State Assembly from 1784 to 1787 and in the New York State Senate from 1798 to 1808. He was a member of the

Council of Appointment The Council of Appointment (sometimes also Council of Appointments) was a body of the Government of New York that existed from 1777 to 1822. History Under the New York Constitution of 1777, the Council of Appointment consisted of the Governor of N ...

in 1799. Denning 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

11th United States Congress The 11th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1809, ...

, beginning on March 4, 1809, but never took his seat, and eventually resigned in 1810.

Personal life

On June 28, 1765, Denning was married to Sarah Hawxhurst (1740–1776). Together, they were the parents of: * Lucretia Ann Denning (1766–1843), who married Nathaniel Mould Shaler (1747–1817) on June 2, 1787. * Charles Denning (1767–1768), who died young. * William Denning (1768–1849), who married Catharine L. Smith (1770–1869), daughter of Thomas Smith, Esq., on November 3, 1794. * Sally Hawxhurst Denning (1770–1770), who died young. * Philip Denning (1772–1773), who died young. * Sarah Denning (1775–1835), who married William Henderson (1767–1825) on June 11, 1798. After his first wife's death, the next year he married Amy ( née Hawxhurst) McIntosh (1747–1808), the younger sister of his first wife and the widow of Phineas McIntosh, a merchant. Together, they were the parents of: * Amy Amelia Denning (1778–1853), who married James Gillespie, a merchant, on April 20, 1806. * Hannah Maria Denning (1782–1862), who married

William Alexander Duer William Alexander Duer (September 8, 1780 – May 30, 1858) was an American lawyer, jurist, and educator from New York City who served as the President of Columbia University from 1829 to 1842. He was also a slaveholder, owning numerous enslave ...

(1780–1858), the 7th

President of Columbia University The president of Columbia University is the chief officer of Columbia University in New York City. The position was first created in 1754 by the original royal charter for the university, issued by George II of Great Britain, George II, and the p ...

and son of Col. William Duer, on September 11, 1806. * Charles Denning (1785–1807), who worked for Minturn and Champlin. He died in New York City in 1819; interment was in St. Paul's Churchyard.

Descendants

Through his son William, he was a grandfather of Emily Denning, who married Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer, the son of Cornelia De Peyster and Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer (1767–1835). Through his daughter Hannah, he was a grandfather of Denning Duer (1812–1891), who married Caroline King (daughter of James Gore King) and Elizabeth Denning Duer (1821–1900), who married Archibald Gracie King, her elder brother’s brother-in-law (both Caroline and Archibald were children of James Gore King).

References

External links

* *
Portrait of Denning
by

John Vanderlyn John Vanderlyn (October 18, 1775September 23, 1852) was an American neoclassicist painter. Biography Vanderlyn was born at Kingston, New York, and was the grandson of colonial portrait painter Pieter Vanderlyn. He was employed by a print-sell ...

, 1831 {{DEFAULTSORT:Denning, William 1740 births 1819 deaths Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Burials at St. Paul's Chapel