James Whitney Wilkin (March 19, 1762 in Wallkill, then

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

, now

Ulster County, New York Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. History ...

– February 23, 1845 in Goshen, Orange Co., NY) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

Wilkin served in the Revolutionary War. He graduated from Princeton College in 1785. Then he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1788, and began practice in

Goshen, New York Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 13,687 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Biblical Land of Goshen. It contains a village also called Goshen, which is the county seat of Orange County ...

. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

in 1796, 1808 and 1808–09, and served as

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: ** In ...

during the latter term. He entered the State militia and rose through successive grades to the rank of major general. He was a 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 ...

from 1801 to 1804 and from 1811 to 1814. He was a member of the Council of Appointment in 1802, 1811, and 1813. He was an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senator from New York in

1813 Events January–March * January 18–January 23 – War of 1812: The Battle of Frenchtown is fought in modern-day Monroe, Michigan between the United States and a British and Native American alliance. * January 24 – T ...

. Wilkin 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

14th United States Congress The 14th 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 the Old Brick Capitol in Washingto ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Jonathan Fisk Jonathan Fisk (September 26, 1778 – July 13, 1832) was an American lawyer and politician who served as United States Representative for the third District of New York. Early life Fisk was born in Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, ...

. He took his seat on December 4, 1815. He was re-elected to the

15th United States Congress The 15th 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 the Old Brick Capitol in Washington, ...

, and served until March 3, 1819. That year, his grandson,

Alexander Wilkin Alexander Wilkin (December 1, 1819 – July 14, 1864) was a soldier during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Wilkin also played a role in the development of the Minnesota Territory, having been its second territorial secreta ...

, was born. He was County Clerk of Orange County from 1819 to 1821, and County Treasurer for several years. He was buried at Slate Hill Cemetery.

Sources

*James Whitney Wilkin in
Princetonians, 1784-1790: A Biographical Dictionary
', by Ruth L. Woodward, Wesley Frank Craven {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkin, James Whitney 1762 births 1845 deaths Princeton University alumni Speakers of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators People from Wallkill, Orange County, New York American militia generals Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)