Jacob H. De Witt

Jacob Hasbrouck De Witt
New York State Assembly
In office 1847
In office 1839
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 7th district
In office March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821
Preceded by	Josiah Hasbrouck
Succeeded by	Charles H. Ruggles
Personal details
Born	(1784-10-02)October 2, 1784 Marbletown, New York, US
Died	January 30, 1857(1857-01-30) (aged 72) Kingston, New York, US
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Spouse	Sarah Ann Sleight
Children	4
Military service
Allegiance	New York
Branch/service	New York militia
Rank	Colonel
Unit	131st Regiment
Battles/wars	War of 1812

Jacob Hasbrouck De Witt (October 2, 1784 – January 30, 1857) was a U.S. Representative from New York.

Early life

Born in Marbletown, New York, De Witt was raised in Twaalskill (now part of the city of Kingston). His father was Colonel Thomas De Witt (1741-1809), a veteran of the American Revolution. His mother, Elsie Hasbrouck DeWitt (1749-1832), was the daughter of Jacob and Maria (Hornbeck) Hasbrouck, making her a member of the Hasbrouck family and a relative of many early notable Ulster County politicians. His parents had married February 28, 1782.

His aunt Mary De Witt was the first wife of General James Clinton, and was the mother of DeWitt Clinton, making him Jacob's first cousin. Jacob De Witt attended the rural schools of Twaalskill and the Kingston (New York) Academy, afterwards becoming a farmer. His grandfather, Egbert A. DeWitt, was town supervisor of Rochester, Ulster County, New York from 1736 to 1738.

He served as the adjutant of a militia regiment in the War of 1812. He continued his militia service, and later attained the rank of Colonel as commander of the New York Militia's 131st Regiment.

Political career and death

De Witt was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Sixteenth Congress (March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1820, and returned to farming.

In 1827 and 1840 De Witt was Kingston's Town Supervisor and a member of the Ulster County Board of Supervisors. He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1839 and 1847.

De Witt died in Kingston on January 30, 1857. He was originally buried at Sharpe Cemetery on Albany Avenue, and later reinterred at Kinsgton's Old Dutch Churchyard.

Personal life

Jacob married Mary Ann Meyer (1797-1816) on February 20, 1815. She died just a year later.

On June 8, 1823 he married Sarah Ann Sleight, daughter of Johannes and Aaltje (Swartwout) Sleight and a granddaughter of Jacobus Swartwout. They had at least four children:

• Elsie De Witt (1823-1900); died unmarried.
• Mary De Witt (1825-1893); married Kingston banker James Sidney Evans (1816-1857) in 1850
  • Thomas Grier Evans (1852-1905); wrote the genealogical book "de Witt Family of Ulster County, New York" in 1886; was a Yale graduate and lawyer
• Anna De Witt (1834-1901); married Charles Lytle Lamberton (1829-1906), who was a Pennsylvania State Senator from 1862 to 1864
• John Sleight De Witt (1838-1901)

DeWitt Street in Kingston, New York was named for Jacob and his unmarried brother, Reuben DeWitt (1787-1859).

References

• United States Congress. "Jacob H. De Witt (id: D000287)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Jacob H. De Witt in History of Ulster County, New York by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester
• Jacob H. De Witt, list of Kingston Town Supervisors in Proceedings of the Ulster County Legislature
• Jacob H. Dewitt, commander of the 131st Regiment in Annual Report of the New York State Historian

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress