Gideon Lee (April 27, 1778August 21, 1841) was an American politician who was the 60th Mayor of New York City from 1833 to 1834, 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 for one term from 1835 to 1837.

Early life

Lee was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on April 27, 1778 and attended the common schools there. He was a son of Gideon Lee (1747–1811) and Lucy ( Ward) Lee (1746–1817). The first known member of the Lee family was John "Leigh" of an ancient and honorable family of Burton street, London, England. He was born about the year 1600, came to New England, and settled at Agawam (now

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

), Essex Co., Mass., in 1635. In 1677 his sons agreed to change the spelling of the family name from "Leigh" to "Lee." Gideon belonged to the sixth generation of this family.

Career

He became a shoemaker in

Worthington, Massachusetts Worthington is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,193 at the 2020 census, up from 1,156 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Worthington is dis ...

. He moved first to New York City and then to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, where he was in the mercantile business, of the old firm of "Gideon Lee, Shepard Knapp and Charles M. Leupp." He returned to New York in 1807 and engaged in the leather business. He served as member of the New York State Assembly in 1823, and as alderman from 1828 to 1830. He was

Mayor of New York The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

from 1833 to 1834, but declined to be a candidate for reelection. Lee was elected as a Jacksonian to the

24th United States Congress The 24th 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, 1835 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Campbell P. White and served from November 4, 1835, to March 3, 1837. He then retired and moved to Seneca Lake in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake; all land portions of the city are within Ontario County; the water portions are in Seneca County. The population was 13, ...

. He was a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...

on the Whig ticket in

1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janu ...

, voting for

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

and

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig tick ...

Personal life

On April 28, 1823, Lee was married to Isabella Williamson (1800–1870), who was the daughter of the Rev. David Williamson, a minister of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Gideon Lee III (1824–1894), who married Floride Elizabeth Clemson, a daughter of

Thomas Green Clemson Thomas Green Clemson (July 1, 1807April 6, 1888) was an American politician and statesman, serving as an ambassador and United States Superintendent of Agriculture. He served in the Confederate Army and founded Clemson University in South Carolin ...

and Anna Maria Calhoun Clemson (a daughter of U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun). After her death, he married Ella Frances Lorton (1844–1921), a daughter of John S. Lorton. Lee died on August 21, 1841 in Geneva, New York. He was buried at the Washington Street Cemetery in

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Gideon Mayors of New York City 1778 births 1841 deaths Members of the New York State Assembly Politicians from Amherst, Massachusetts Politicians from Geneva, New York 1840 United States presidential electors Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians New York (state) Whigs Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)