Nathaniel Pitcher (November 30, 1777 – May 25, 1836) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the eighth Governor of New York from February 11 to December 31, 1828. Pitcher was born in

Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town. There are also three unincorpora ...

, and raised in Sandy Hill, New York ( Hudson Falls). He was educated in Sandy Hill, studied law, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

, and became an attorney. He became active in politics 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 ...

, and served in local offices including

town supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

and justice of the peace. He served in the New York State Assembly, as

probate court A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

judge of Washington County, and as a federal tax assessor 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 was also a longtime veteran of the

New York Militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the state defense force of New York State, also called The New York State Military Reserve. Originally called the New York State Militia it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Th ...

; he served during the War of 1812, and after the war he commanded a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

with the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. From 1819 to 1823, Pitcher was a member of the

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 ...

. In 1826, he was elected Lieutenant Governor of New York. He served in 1827 and early 1828, and succeeded to the governorship after the February 1828 death of DeWitt Clinton. He served out the rest of Clinton's term, and left office after

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

became governor in January 1829. In 1830, Pitcher was again elected to Congress, and he served one term, 1831 to 1833. Pitcher died in Sandy Hill on May 25, 1836, and was buried at Baker Cemetery in Hudson Falls.

Early life

Pitcher was born in Litchfield on November 30, 1777. He was the son of Nathaniel Pitcher Sr. (1750–1802), a veteran of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

who led the detachment that captured Lake George's Fort George from the British in 1775. The younger Pitcher was raised and educated in Sandy Hill, New York (now Hudson Falls). He studied law, was

, and practiced in Sandy Hill.

Early career

Pitcher entered politics as a member of the

Democratic-Republican Party 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 earl ...

, and he served as

Kingsbury Kingsbury may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Kingsbury, London, a district of northwest London in the borough of Brent ** Kingsbury tube station, London Underground station * Kingsbury, Warwickshire, a village and civil parish in Warwickshi ...

from 1804 to 1810. He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1806 to 1807, 1815 to 1816, and 1816 to 1818. From 1812 to 1813, Pitcher served as surrogate judge of Washington County. He was Kingsbury's town clerk in 1813 and 1814, and also served as a justice of the peace, with appointments in 1804, 1806, 1807, 1808, and 1811. During the

, Pitcher was appointed the federal revenue assessor for the 10th District of New York, which included Washington County, and was responsible for collecting taxes imposed to support the war effort.

Military career

Pitcher's father had been active in the militia, and the younger Nathaniel Pitcher followed him into military service, receiving his commission as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in 1802. In 1808 he was appointed as adjutant of the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

commanded by Micajah Pettit. Later in 1808 he was promoted to major, and appointed as inspector of the

commanded by Warren Ferris. In 1814, Pitcher was included in a militia detail of 13,500 soldiers that was activated for federal service during military operations on the

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

-western New York border during the

. In 1815, Pitcher was appointed lieutenant colonel and second in command of the militia's 121st Regiment. Later in 1815, he succeeded Pettit as commander of the 17th Brigade, and was promoted to

. As a result of his military service, Pitcher was frequently referred to in public records and newspaper stories as "General Pitcher" or "Gen. Pitcher".

Later career

He was elected as a

to the

16th 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

and 17th Congresses (March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1823). He 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 ...

in 1821. Pitcher was Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1827 and 1828 and became Governor of New York upon the death of Governor DeWitt Clinton. He completed Clinton's term, February 11, 1828, to December 31, 1828, and was succeeded by

. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the

22nd Congress The 22nd 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, 183 ...

(March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833).

Death and burial

Pitcher died in Hudson Falls on May 25, 1836, and was buried at Baker Cemetery in Hudson Falls.

Family

Pitcher's first wife was Margaret Scott (1782–1815). Their children included sons Augustus (1808–1876), Matthew Scott (1810–1858), and Montgomery Pike (1813–1841). On March 15, 1823, Pitcher was married to Anna B. Merritt (1791–1824) of Freedom Plains, New York. She became ill and died soon after giving birth to their son Edward Merritt (1824–1860). Edward Merritt Pitcher moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in the 1840s, where he was an early settler of

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, and a member of

Sacramento County Sacramento County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,585,055. Its county seat is Sacramento, which has been the state capital of California since 1854. Sacramento County is the ...

's first board of supervisors. Pitcher's siblings included Zina Pitcher, a prominent physician and

mayor of Detroit This is a list of mayors of Detroit, Michigan. See History of Detroit, Michigan, for more information about the history of the incorporation of the city. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. History ...

Legacy

The town of

Pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Chenango County Chenango County is a county located in the south-central section U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning 'large bull-thist ...

is named for Pitcher.

Attempts to locate portrait

Pitcher is the only Governor of New York for whom no likeness is known to exist, and attempts to locate one have proved unsuccessful. One image that is sometimes identified as a portrait of Pitcher is not his likeness, as the clothing worn by the subject and the facial hair clearly date it to the 1850s–1860s era, at least 20 years after Pitcher died.

References

Sources

Books

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Newspapers

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Magazines

Internet

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitcher, Nathaniel 1777 births 1836 deaths Governors of New York (state) Lieutenant Governors of New York (state) Members of the New York State Assembly Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States Politicians from Litchfield, Connecticut People from Kingsbury, New York People from Hudson Falls, New York Town supervisors in New York (state) New York (state) state court judges American militia generals People from New York (state) in the War of 1812 Burials in New York (state) Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)