Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer (September 27, 1767 – September 22, 1835) was an American lawyer and Federalist politician who served as

Speaker of the New York State Assembly The speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party. As in most countries with a British heritage, the Speaker (politics), speaker presides o ...

from 1812 to 1813, and

Secretary of State of New York The secretary of state of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York who leads the Department of State (NYSDOS). The current secretary of state of New York is Robert J. Rodriguez, a Democrat. Duties The secre ...

, from 1813 to 1815.

Early life

Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer was born on September 27, 1767, in Claverack, Columbia County 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 ...

, a part of British America. He was the second son of Gen.

Robert Van Rensselaer Robert Van Rensselaer (December 16, 1740 – September 11, 1802) was Brigadier General during the American Revolutionary War, a member of the New York Provincial Congress from 1775 to 1777 and later a member of the New York State Assembly in the ...

(1740–1802) and Cornelia ( née Rutsen) Van Rensselaer (1746–1790), who had married in April 1765. His maternal grandparents were Jacob Rutsen (1716–1753) and Alida (née Livingston) Rutsen (1716–1798). After his grandfather died, his grandmother remarried to Hendrick Van Rensselaer (1712–1793). His paternal grandparents were Johannes Van Rensselaer (1708–1793), a Brigadier General during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, a member of 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 ...

and the 1st New York State Assembly, and Engeltie "Angelica" (née Livingston) Van Rensselaer (1698–1746/47). He attended Washington Seminary, graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1787, studied law and attained admission to the bar.

Career

During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, he commanded troops which were drafted in Columbia County, and were ordered to the defense of the city of New York. Van Rensselaer was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1800, 1808, 1808–09, 1811, 1812, 1812–13, 1814, 1814–15 and 1819; and was

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

in 1812–13. He was

from 1813 to 1815 and was a delegate to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

of 1821. He was associated with Gov. DeWitt Clinton in building the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

Personal life

He married Cornelia De Peyster (1774–1849), the daughter of Pierre Guillaume De Peyster (1745–1807). Her paternal uncle was

Arent DePeyster Arent Schuyler DePeyster (27 June 1736 – 26 November 1822) was an American-born military officer best known for his term as commandant of the British controlled Fort Michilimackinac and Fort Detroit during the American Revolution. Following t ...

(1736–1822), the British military officer, and her brother, William de Peyster, was married to Mary Roosevelt, niece of Nicholas Roosevelt. Their home, the

Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer House and Mill Complex Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer House and Mill Complex is a historic home and mill complex consisting of 14 interrelated buildings and located at Claverack in Columbia County, New York. History The house was built by Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer, , ...

, built circa 1805 is today listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. ''See also:'' Together, they were the parents of: * Cornelia Van Rensselaer, who died young. * Pierre De Peyster Van Rensselaer (1797–1802), who died young. * Cornelia Rensselaer, who died at the age of nineteen. * Eliza Bayard Van Rensselaer (1801–1835) * Pierre Van Rensselaer, who died at the age of twenty-five. * Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer, who married Emily Denning, granddaughter of

William Denning William Denning (April 1740October 30, 1819) was a merchant and United States Representative from New York. Early life Denning was likely born in St. John's in the Newfoundland Colony in April 1740. As a youth, he moved to New York City in ...

, in 1848. * Robert Schuyler Van Rensselaer (c. 1810–1874), who married Virginia Kidd. * Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (1812–1874), who married Mary Fleming (1810–1881), daughter of Gilbert Fleming. * Catharine Schuyler Van Rensselaer (1813–1838), who died from grief shortly after the death of her father. After his death in

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 ...

on September 22, 1835, he was buried in the cemetery at the Reformed Dutch Church of Claverack.

References

;Notes ;Sources

Genealogy of Livingston family

Bio at Rootsweb
''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 33, 57, 173, 181f, 184f, 187ff, 194 and 312; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Rensselaer, Jacob R 1767 births 1835 deaths Members of the New York State Assembly Speakers of the New York State Assembly People from Claverack, New York American people of Dutch descent Secretaries of State of New York (state) New York (state) Federalists Jacob Rutsen Claverack College alumni Yale University alumni New York (state) lawyers