Francis Hendricks (November 23, 1834 – June 9, 1920) was an American merchant, banker 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

Hendricks was born on November 23, 1834 in Kingston,

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 ...

He attended the common schools and

The Albany Academy The Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school for boys in Albany, New York, USA, enrolling students from Preschool (age 3) to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselae ...

. Then he engaged in the sale of photographic supplies in Syracuse from 1860 to 1916. He served as a member of the Board of Fire Commissioners of Syracuse from 1877 to 1878; and was Mayor of Syracuse from 1880 to 1881. 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 ...

(Onondaga Co., 2nd D.) in

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price atte ...

and

1885 Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 – ...

. 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 ...

(25th D.) from 1886 to 1891, sitting in the 109th, 110th, 111th, 112th, 113th and

114th New York State Legislature The 114th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to April 30, 1891, during the seventh year of David B. Hill's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provi ...

s. From September 28, 1891, to July 1893, Hendricks held the office of

Collector of the Port of New York The Collector of Customs at the Port of New York, most often referred to as Collector of the Port of New York, was a federal officer who was in charge of the collection of import duties on foreign goods that entered the United States by ship at t ...

. He was also President of the State Bank of Syracuse. Governor

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

appointed him as Superintendent of Insurance in February 1900, a post he held until May 1906. In 1918, the veteran Hendricks lost the support of his ward and town leaders in the midst of the prohibition debate. After his defeat, Hendricks said he had "no desire to lead an organisation which has become the tool of the saloons." He died on June 9, 1920, "after an illness of several weeks" in

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Onondaga County, New York Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. Onondaga County is the core of the Syracuse, NY MSA. History The name ''Onondaga'' derives fro ...

Legacy

Childless, in his will Hendricks left $500,000 to

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

to build a chapel in memory of his wife, Eliza Jane. Today, Hendricks Memorial Chapel is a registered historic landmark on the university's campus.

References

Sources

''The New York Red Book''
compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; pg. 403 and 503f)
Biographical sketches of the members of the Legislature
in ''The Evening Journal Almanac''] (1887) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hendricks, Francis 1834 births 1920 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Politicians from Kingston, New York Mayors of Syracuse, New York Collectors of the Port of New York Syracuse University trustees Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Syracuse, New York) The Albany Academy alumni