Jacob Leisler
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Jacob Leisler | |
---|---|
Mary II | |
Preceded by | Francis Nicholson |
Succeeded by | Henry Sloughter |
Personal details | |
Born | c. 1640 Frankfurt am Main, Hesse |
Died | May 16, 1691 New York City, Province of New York, English America | (aged 50–51)
Spouse |
Elsie Tymens (m. 1663) |
Profession | Merchant, Lieutenant governor of New York |
Signature | |
Jacob Leisler (c. 1640 – May 16, 1691) was a German-born colonist who served as a politician in the Province of New York. He gained wealth in
Beginning in 1689, Leisler led an insurrection and seized control of the city by taking over Fort James at the lower end of Manhattan. He took over control of the entire province, appointing himself as acting Lieutenant Governor of the Province of New York, which he retained until March 1691, refusing to yield power until the newly appointed governor himself finally arrived. While Leisler claimed to have acted to support the Protestant accession against Jacobite officeholders in New York, he was arrested by the newly appointed governor of New York in March 1691. With opponents active against him, he was condemned and executed in New York City for treason against the English monarchs William III and Mary II. His estate was forfeited to the Crown.
During his period of control, Leisler completed a major purchase of property from
Leisler's son and supporters found the trial and conviction most unjust; it was mounted by his enemies. They worked to clear the names of Leisler and Jacob Milborne (his son in law) and for the restoration of their estates to their heirs. They gained an act of Parliament in 1695 to achieve this. Remains of the two men were reinterred with honors at the Dutch Reformed Church in Manhattan.
Early life
Leisler was born in
He went to New Amsterdam (later New York) in 1660 as a soldier in the service of the Dutch West India Company. Leaving the company's employ soon after his arrival, Leisler engaged in the lucrative fur trade and tobacco trade and became a wealthy man.[2] New York tax records from 1676 list Leisler as the third wealthiest man in the city.[3]
In 1674, Leisler was one of the administrators of a forced loan imposed by
Leisler had endeared himself to the common people by befriending a family of French
Leisler's Rebellion
The
In 1688, Governor Dongan was succeeded by Lieutenant-Governor
Upon hearing of a report which claimed supporters of King James II were about to seize the fort and massacre settlers of Dutch descent, an armed mob gathered on the evening of June 2, 1689, to overthrow the existing government. The cry of "Leisler" was raised, and the crowd rushed to his house. At first, he refused to lead the movement, but when the demand was reiterated, he acceded and within an hour received the keys of the fort, which had been seized. The revolutionaries took advantage of the fort containing all the public funds, whose return Lieutenant Governor Nicholson demanded in vain.
Four hundred of the new party signed an agreement to hold the fort "for the present Protestant power that reigns in England," and a committee of safety of ten of the city freeholders assumed the powers of a provisional government of which they declared Jacob Leisler to be the head. They commissioned him as "captain of the fort." In this capacity, he began to repair the fort, strengthening it with a battery of six guns beyond its walls. This was the origin of the public park known as
Leisler as acting lieutenant-governor
The aristocrats also favored deposing James but preferred to continue the provincial government established by his authority, rather than risk the danger of an interregnum.[5] Nicholson and the council of the province, with the authorities of the city, headed by Mayor Stephen van Cortlandt, attempted to prevent the uprising, but without effect. Finally, becoming alarmed for his own safety, Lieutenant-Governor Nicholson sailed for England on June 24. The New York City mayor and other officials retired to Albany.[2]
Albany held out against Leisler's authority for a time. In November, Leisler sent Jacob Milborne to Albany with an armed force to assist in its defense against any Indians. Milborne was directed to withhold aid unless Leisler's authority was recognized. That was refused, and Milborne returned unsuccessful.[2] However, after the destruction of Schenectady on February 19, 1690, by the French and their allied Indians, Christian Mohawk among them, Albany submitted to Leisler's authority.[6]
Under authority of a letter from the home government addressed to Nicholson "or in his absence, to such as for the time being takes care for preserving the peace and administering the laws in His Majesty's province of New York,"[7] Leisler had assumed the title of lieutenant-governor in December 1689. He dissolved the committee of safety, appointed a council, and took charge of the government of the entire province.[5][8] He appointed Jacob Milborne as Clerk to the Council, Attorney-General, Advocate General and his Secretary.[9] Milborne married Leisler's daughter Mary.[10]
Leisler summoned the first Intercolonial Congress in America, which met in New York on May 1, 1690, to plan concerted action against the
In the meantime, Colonel Henry Sloughter had been commissioned Governor of the Province of New York by William and Mary on September 3, 1689, but he did not reach New York until March 19, 1691.[5]
Leisler and Huguenots
Acting on behalf of a group of Huguenots in New York, Leisler brokered the purchase of land upon which they could settle. In 1689 John Pell, Lord of Pelham Manor, officially deeded 6,100 acres (25 km²) to Leisler for the establishment of a Huguenot community north of Manhattan. On September 20, 1689, Leisler donated a third of this land to Huguenot refugees.[11] In addition to the purchase money, Leisler and his heirs and assigns were to yield and pay unto John Pell and his heirs and assigns (Lords of the Pelham Manor) one "Fat Calf" yearly, as acknowledgment of their feudal obligation to the Manor.[12] This settlement developed as the city of New Rochelle, New York.[2]
End of rebellion
On January 28, 1691, English Army officer Richard Ingoldesby, who had been commissioned lieutenant-governor of the province, landed with two companies of soldiers in Manhattan and demanded possession of Fort James. Leisler refused to surrender the fort without an order from the king or the governor. After some controversy, Ingoldesby attacked the fort on March 17, during which Leisler's forces killed two of his soldiers and wounded several.[5]
When Governor Sloughter finally arrived in New York the following March, he immediately demanded Leisler's surrender. Leisler refused to surrender the fort until he was convinced of Sloughter's identity, and the governor had sworn in his council. As soon as the latter event occurred, he wrote the governor a letter resigning his command.
Sloughter responded by arresting Leisler and nine of his colleagues, including his son-in-law Jacob Milborne. All but Milborne were released after trial. Leisler was imprisoned and charged with treason and murder. Shortly afterward, he was tried and condemned to death. His son-in-law and secretary, Milborne, was condemned on the same charges. Leisler's son and other supporters were outraged by the trials, as they were considered unjust. The judges were the personal and political enemies of the prisoners, and their acts were described as "gross."[2]
Governor Sloughter was said to have hesitated to sign the death warrants but was trying to stabilize politics in the colony and did not have sufficient influence among the elite of New York City. He was said to have finally signed the warrants under the influence of wine.[2]
On May 16, 1691, Leisler and Milborne were executed.
Restitution
Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act for reversing the Attainder of Jacob Leister and others. |
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Citation | 6 & 7 Will. & Mar. c. 30 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 3 May 1695 |
In 1695, by an Act of Parliament, achieved through the efforts of Leisler's son and supporters, the names of Jacob Leisler and Milborne were cleared, and Leisler's estate was restored to his heirs.[15] Three years later the Earl of Bellomont, who had been one of the most influential supporters of Leisler's son, was appointed as governor of New York. Through his influence, the assembly voted an indemnity to Leisler's heirs.[2]
Personal life
Leisler married Elsie Tymens, the widow of Pieter Cornelisz van der Veen, in 1663.[5] They had three daughters:
- Catharine Leisler, who in 1685 married Robert Walters (d. 1733), mayor of New York City from 1720 to 1725.[16]
- Susannah Leisler, who in 1687 married Michael Vaughton of Staffordshire, a half-brother of John Spragg, the colonial secretary of New York.[17]
- Mary Leisler, who in 1691 married Jacob Milborne (c. 1648-1691), who was executed with his father-in-law.[5]
Some descendants of Leisler use his surname as a middle name. The most prominent of them was
Legacy and honors
- Governor Bellomont authorized the honorable reburial of Leisler and his son-in-law at the Dutch Reformed Church in New York City.[2]
- In June 1913, a monument to Jacob Leisler was dedicated in New Rochelle, New York, by the Huguenot Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Huguenot Association of New Rochelle, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding and honor his role. Leisler has been described as the "first Governor of Colonial New York to owe his position to the popular suffrage."[18]
- In June 1913, William O. Bates published his play, Jacob Leisler: A Play of Old New York, about the leader and the dramatic events of his life.[18]
- Leisler was depicted by Nazi German propogandist playwright Curt Langenbeck in his play Der Hochverräter. Tragisches Schauspiel (1938) as a hero.[19]
Citations
- ^ Voorhees 1994, p. 455
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1892). . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
- ^ Voorhees 1994, p. 457
- ^ The American Cyclopædia.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Chisholm 1911, p. 402
- ^ New International Encyclopedia(1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
- ^ O'Callaghan, 1850, v. 2, p. 66
- ^ a b Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). Encyclopedia Americana. .
- ^ "The Supreme Court of the Province of New York 1674-1776". Historica Society of the New York Courts. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ Voorhees, Institute, 2010, p. 133
- ^ Voorhees 1994, p. 465
- Work Projects Administrationof New York, p. 245.
- ^ O'Callaghan, 1850, v. 2, Introduction
- ISBN 9780321002914. Retrieved November 4, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ Year Book of the Dutchess County Historical Society. Dutchess County Historical Society. 1978. p. 82. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ "Robert Walters, Judge of the NY Supreme Court of Judicature, 1701-1702; 1718-1733". www.nycourts.gov. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ISBN 9781438430041. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Jacob Leisler; New Rochelle's Founder Taken as Hero in Drama", The New York Times, June 29, 1913. Accessed November 4, 2021.
- ^ Swales, Martin and Schoeps, Karl-Heinz. Literature and Film in the Third Reich. Camden House, 2004, pp. 133-136.
Bibliography
- John Romeyn Brodhead, History of the State of New York (vol. 2, New York, 1871)
- O'Callaghan, Edmund Bailey (1850). Documentary history of the state of New-York. Vol. II. Albany: Weed, Parsons & Co., Public Printers.
- Voorhees, David William (2010). Explorers, Fortunes and Love Letters. New Netherland Institute; Mount Ida Press. ISBN 9781438430041.
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Leisler, Jacob". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 402. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
Further reading
- Voorhees, David William (July 1994), "The 'fervent Zeale' of Jacob Leisler", William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd ser., 51 (3): 447–472, JSTOR 2947438
- The Jacob Leisler Papers Project, New York University
- Statue of Jacob Leisler, New Rochelle, NY
- . . 1914.