Killian Killian Van Rensselaer (June 9, 1763 – June 18, 1845) was an American lawyer and Federalist

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who served in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

as a

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

from the

state of New York New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state ...

Early life

Killian Killian Van Rensselaer was born on June 9, 1763 at the old family mansion owned by his uncle Johannes in Greenbush in 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 ...

to Kiliaen Van Rensselaer (1717–1781) and his first wife, Ariantje "Harriet" Schuyler (1720–1763), who died four months after his birth. Killian was therefore the youngest of nine children born to his parents, including older brothers Henry Kiliaen Van Rensselaer (1744–1816) and Philip Kiliaen van Rensselaer (1747–1798), and Nicholas Van Rensselaer (1754–1848). His elder sister, Catharine Van Rensselaer, married William Henry Ludlow (1740–1803). His father was commissioned as a Colonel of the 4th Regiment, Albany County Militia on October 20, 1775, and was wounded during the Battles of Saratoga and received the highest compliments about his courage from General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

. Killian K. completed preparatory studies and attended

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, where he studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

Extended family

On his father's side, he was the cousin of

Jeremiah Van Rensselaer Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (August 27, 1738February 19, 1810), from the prominent Van Rensselaer family, was Lieutenant Governor of New York and a member of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York in the 1st United Sta ...

, who was also a

U.S. 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 c ...

. His paternal grandfather was

Hendrick van Rensselaer Hendrick van Rensselaer (October 23, 1667 – July 4, 1740) was director of the Eastern patent of the Rensselaerswyck manor. The estate was composed of land in Columbia County, New York, and land opposite Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, ...

(1667–1740), director of the Eastern patent of the

Rensselaerswyck The Manor of Rensselaerswyck, Manor Rensselaerswyck, Van Rensselaer Manor, or just simply Rensselaerswyck ( nl, Rensselaerswijck ), was the name of a colonial estate—specifically, a Dutch patroonship and later an English manor—owned by the va ...

manor, and his paternal grandmother was Catharina Van Brugh, daughter of merchant Johannes Pieterse Van Brugh (1624–1697). His maternal grandfather, Nicholas Schuyler (1691–1748), was the nephew of

Pieter Schuyler Pieter Schuyler (17 September 1657 – 19 February 1724) was the first mayor of Albany, New York. A long-serving member of the executive council of the Province of New York, he acted as governor of the Province of New York on three occasions ...

(1657–1724), the first mayor of Albany, and the grandson of

Philip Pieterse Schuyler Colonel Philip Pieterse Schuyler or Philip Pieterse (1628 – 9 May 1683) was a Dutch-born colonist landowner who was the progenitor of the American Schuyler family. Early life Philip Pieterse Schuyler was born in Amsterdam, Holland in the Repub ...

(1628–1683), the Dutch fur trader who became the progenitor of the American Schuyler family.

Career

He was admitted to the bar in 1784, and commenced practice in

Claverack, New York Claverack is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 6,021 at the 2010 census. The town name is a corruption for the Dutch word “Klaverakker” for "Clover Fields" or "Clover Reach". In 1705, the first discovery ...

. He owned slaves. He was private secretary to General

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 18, 1804) was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler. Born in Alb ...

(1733–1804), a general in 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 ...

and later a

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, and also a cousin through his mother. In 1794, he corresponded with

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

regarding a letter of introduction for Robert S. Van Rensselaer, the son of his brother Philip, on his trip to Europe, at which time he met with members of the extended Van Rensselaer family in Holland.

United States Congress

Van Rensselaer was elected as a Federalist to the Seventh United States Congress, taking his seat on March 4, 1801, during the first Congress that met in Washington, D.C., as the previous congresses had met in New York and Philadelphia. The start of seventh Congress immediately followed the election of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

over Aaron Burr by the preceding

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

. Van Rensselaer went on to serve in the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and

Eleventh 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, ...

es, serving until March 3, 1811. While in Congress, he was placed on the Ways and Means Committee. He was invited and dined at the White House with President Jefferson and President Madison, as well as at

The Octagon House The Octagon House, also known as the Colonel John Tayloe III House, is located at 1799 New York Avenue, Northwest in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. After the British destroyed the White House during the War of 1812, the hou ...

, the residences of Col. John Tayloe - a close friend of

. He was associated with Count Fyodor Palen, the Plenipotentiary of the Czar of Russia to the United States, and Louis Marie Turreau, Napoleon's

Ambassador to the United States The following table lists ambassadors to the United States, sorted by the representative country or organization. See also *Ambassadors of the United States Notes {{reflist, 30em External linksCurrent and former Ambassadors to the United Sta ...

. Afterwards, he returned to Claverack and resumed the

practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the profess ...

Personal life

On January 27, 1791, Van Rensselaer married Margaretta "Margaret" Sanders (1764–1830), daughter of John Sanders (d. 1782) and Deborah Glen (d. 1786) of

Scotia Scotia is a Latin placename derived from ''Scoti'', a Latin name for the Gaels, first attested in the late 3rd century.Duffy, Seán. ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge, 2005. p.698 The Romans referred to Ireland as "Scotia" around ...

, and a cousin of his brother Philip's wife. Her sister, Maria, was the wife of Mayor

Johannes Jacobse Beekman Johannes "John" Jacobse Beekman (August 8, 1733 – December 17, 1802) was a New York politician and businessman of Dutch descent. He served as Mayor of Albany, New York and a member of the New York State Assembly. Early life Beekman was ...

. Together they had five children, one of whom died in infancy: * John Sanders Van Rensselaer (1792–1868), who married Ann Dunkin (1795–1845) * William Van Rensselaer (1794–1855) * Deborah Van Rensselaer (1795–1796), who died in infancy * Richard Van Rensselaer (1797–1880), who married Elizabeth Van Rensselaer (d. 1835), and later Matilda Fonda Van Rensselaer (d. 1863) * Bernard Sanders Van Rensselaer (1801–1879), who married Elizabeth Hum (d. 1834), and later Mary Targee (d. 1858). They lived at 112 State Street, a home built for them in 1801, at the same time Philip S. Van Rensselaer, the Mayor, built his home on the corner of Chapel Street (which was later purchased by

Erastus Corning Erastus Corning (December 14, 1794 – April 9, 1872) was an American businessman and politician from Albany, New York. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service as mayor of Albany from 1834 to 1837, in the New York State Senate from 1842 ...

). Van Rensselaer died on June 18, 1845 in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

, aged 82, and was interred in a private cemetery at East Greenbush.

Descendants

Killian's grandson was Charles van Rensselaer (1823–1857), the first officer on the SS ''Central America'', when it was lost during a hurricane in September 1857.''Loss of the Central America''
September 21, 1857

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

article; Retrieved August 1, 2013.

References

;Notes ;Sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Rensselaer, Killian 1763 births 1845 deaths People from Rensselaer County, New York People of the Province of New York Killian American people of Dutch descent Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) New York (state) lawyers American slave owners People from Claverack, New York