John Ferguson (c. 1777—September 5, 1832) was an American attorney and politician from

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 ...

. 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 ...

, and later a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he was most notable for his service as the 52nd

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

from March to June 1815, Grand Sachem of

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

, and Naval Officer of the Port of New York.

Biography

Ferguson was born in XXX in 1777. Ferguson graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1795, studied law, and became an attorney. He was active in politics as a

, and became a political opponent of Dewitt Clinton. He worked his way through the ranks to become leader, or Grand Sachem, of

. In 1813, he was appointed Naval Officer of the Port of New York, a lucrative federal position, in which he served until his death. In March, 1815 he was appointed mayor of New York City. President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

requested that Ferguson choose which office he preferred to hold, and resign the other. Ferguson resigned as mayor in June 1815, enabling Radcliff to become mayor. From 1830 to 1832, Ferguson was a trustee of Columbia College. Ferguson died in New York City on September 5, 1832.

Family

Ferguson's daughter Louisa (1807-1845) was the wife of

Robert Walter Weir Robert Walter Weir (June 18, 1803 – May 1, 1889) was an American artist and educator and is considered a painter of the Hudson River School. Weir was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1829 and was an instructor at the United States M ...

. He was the grandfather of John Ferguson Weir, son of Robert and Louisa (Ferguson) Weir.

Notes

References

*James Grant Wilson, ''The Memorial History of the City of New-York: From Its First Settlement to the Year 1892'', New York History Co., 1893
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, from Stanford University Library, p. 208 and p. 298 (footnote) Columbia College (New York) alumni New York (state) lawyers New York (state) Democratic-Republicans New York (state) Democrats Mayors of New York City 1832 deaths Year of birth uncertain {{NewYork-mayor-stub