Philip Schuyler
Philip Schuyler | |
---|---|
United States Senator from New York | |
In office March 4, 1797 – January 3, 1798 | |
Preceded by | Aaron Burr |
Succeeded by | John Sloss Hobart |
In office July 16, 1789 – March 3, 1791 | |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Aaron Burr |
1st Surveyor General of New York | |
In office March 30, 1781 – May 13, 1784 | |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Simeon De Witt |
Personal details | |
Born | Philip Schuyler November 20, 1733 Federalist |
Spouse | |
Children |
|
Rank | Captain (NY) Colonel (NY) Major general (USA) |
Battles/wars | French and Indian War Revolutionary War
|
Philip John Schuyler (/ˈskaɪlər/; November 20, 1733 - November 18, 1804) was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from New York.[2] He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler.
Born in Albany, Province of New York, into the prosperous Schuyler family, Schuyler fought in the French and Indian War. He won election to the New York General Assembly in 1768 and to the Continental Congress in 1775. He planned the Continental Army's 1775 Invasion of Quebec, but poor health forced him to delegate command of the invasion to Richard Montgomery. He prepared the Continental Army's defense of the 1777 Saratoga campaign, but was replaced by Major General Horatio Gates as the commander of Continental forces in the theater. Schuyler resigned from the Continental Army in 1779.
Schuyler served in the
Early life
Philip John Schuyler was born on November 20 [
Before his father died on the eve of his eighth birthday, Schuyler attended the public school in Albany.[5] Afterward, he was educated by tutors at the Van Cortlandt family estate at New Rochelle. Fluent in both Dutch and English from childhood,[6] in 1748 he began to study with Reverend Peter Strouppe at the New Rochelle French Protestant Church, where he learned French and mathematics.[5] While he was at New Rochelle he also joined numerous trade expeditions where he met Iroquois leaders and learned to speak Mohawk.[6]
Schuyler joined the British forces in 1755 during the
After the war, Bradstreet sent Schuyler to England to settle Bradstreet's reimbursement claims for expenses he incurred during the war effort, and he remained in England from 1760 to 1763.[7] After returning to the United States he took over management of several farms and business enterprises in upstate New York, including a lumber venture in Saratoga.[8] In addition, Schuyler was responsible for constructing the first flax mill in the American colonies.[9] Schuyler became colonel and commander of a militia district regiment in 1767.[10] In 1768, he served as a member of the New York Assembly.[11]
American Revolution
Schuyler was elected to the
Saratoga campaign
After returning to the command of the Northern Department in 1777, Schuyler was active in preparing a defense against the
The British offensive was eventually stopped by Continental Army then under the command of Gates and Benedict Arnold in the Battles of Saratoga. That victory, the first wholesale defeat of a large British force, marked a turning point in the revolution, for it convinced France to enter the war on the American side. When Schuyler demanded a court martial to answer Gates' charges, he was vindicated but resigned from the Army on April 19, 1779. He then served in two more sessions of the Continental Congress in 1779 and 1780.
Later career
As a prominent politician and Patriot leader in New York, Schuyler was the subject of an unsuccessful kidnapping attempt, which was plotted and led by John Walden Meyers on August 7, 1781. Schuyler was able to vacate his Albany mansion before the kidnappers arrived.[15] Schuyler was an original member of the New York Society of the Cincinnati.
After the war, he expanded his Saratoga estate to tens of thousands of acres, adding slaves, tenant farmers, a store, mills for flour, flax, and lumber. He built several schooners on the Hudson River, and named the first Saratoga. According to the Schuyler Mansion Historic Society, there were around 40 slaves between the Albany and Saratoga estates.[16]
He was a member of the
In
Personal life
According to the Schuyler Family's Bible, on September 7, 1755, he married Catherine Van Rensselaer (1734–1803) at Albany. In the Bible entry, he was called "Philip Johannes Schuyler" and she was called "Catherina Van Rensselaer". She was the daughter of Johannes Van Rensselaer (1707/08–1783) and his first wife, Engeltje Livingston (1698–1746/47). Johannes was the grandson of Hendrick van Rensselaer (1667–1740). Engeltje was the daughter of Robert Livingston the Younger. Philip and Catherine had 15 children together, eight of whom survived to adulthood, including:
- MP.
- Elizabeth Schuyler (1757–1854), who married Alexander Hamilton (1755/7–1804), later the first United States Secretary of the Treasury. Elizabeth co-founded the first private orphanage in New York City.[20]
- Stephen Van Rensselaer III (1764–1839), 8th Patroon.
- Cornelia Schuyler (1761–1762), a twin to the first John Bradstreet.
- John Bradstreet Schuyler (1761–1761), a twin to Cornelia.[21][22]
- John Bradstreet Schuyler (1763–1764).
- John Bradstreet Schuyler (1765–1795), who married Elizabeth Van Rensselaer (1768–1841), the sister of Stephen Van Rensselaer III who married his sister Peggy.[23]
- Philip Jeremiah Schuyler (1768–1835), who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and who married Sarah Rutsen; after her death in 1805, he married Mary Anna Sawyer.
- Triplets (1770–1770, Unbaptized).[21]
- Rensselaer Schuyler (1773–1847), who married Elizabeth Ten Broeck, daughter of General Abraham Ten Broeck.[24]
- Cornelia Schuyler (1776–1808), who married Washington Morton.[25]
- Cortlandt Schuyler (1778–1778).[26]
- Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler (1781–1857), who married first, Samuel Malcolm (son of John Cochran and Gertrude Schuyler, Philip Schuyler's sister.[27]
Schuyler's country home had been destroyed by General John Burgoyne's forces in October 1777. Later that year, he began rebuilding on the same site, now located in southern Schuylerville, New York. This later home is maintained by the National Park Service as part of the Saratoga National Historical Park, and is open to the public.
Schuyler died at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany on November 18, 1804, four months after his son-in-law, Alexander Hamilton, was killed in a duel and 2 days before his 71st birthday. He is buried at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York.
-
Schuyler Mansion, which was constructed from 1761 to 1765
Legacy
Place names
Geographic locations and buildings named in Schuyler's honor include:
- Schuyler, New York
- Schuylerville, New York
- Schuyler County, New York, as well as Schuyler County, Illinois, and Schuyler County, Missouri
- Maritime Industry Museum and the State University of New York Maritime College
- The Philip Schuyler Achievement Academy (named for Schuyler and his son Philip) in Albany, New York (name change expected in 2021)[28]
Works of art
Schuyler was depicted by John Trumbull in his 1821 painting Surrender of General Burgoyne, which hangs in the United States Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C.
Major General Philip Schuyler, a bronze statue by sculptor J. Massey Rhind, was erected outside Albany City Hall in 1925. In June 2020, Albany mayor Kathy Sheehan signed an executive order for the statue to be removed and given to a "museum or other institution for future display with appropriate historical context", due to Schuyler's ownership of slaves.[29] The statue was requested the next day by the mayor of Schuylerville, New York, who suggested that it be relocated to Schuyler House.[30] In the early morning of June 10, 2023, the statue was removed from its pedestal to a trailer and transported to an undisclosed storage location.[31] After the statue was removed on June 10, 2023, a time capsule was discovered underneath in a sealed metal box.
In popular culture
The non-speaking role of Philip Schuyler was originated by ensemble member Sydney James Harcourt in the 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton, in which Schuyler's son-in-law Alexander Hamilton is the title character.[32]
References
- ^ Column atop a large base. Sec. 29, lot 2, Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, Albany, NY., Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Location 42147). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
- ^ "NYSM: Philip Schuyler". Archived from the original on 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ISBN 9780598239891.
- ^ Tuckerman 1969, p. 9.
- ^ a b c d e "Biography, Philip John Schuyler (1733–1804)". ARCE: Albany Rural Cemetery Explorer. Albany, NY: University at Albany SUNY and Albany Rural Cemetery. 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-5796-5510-5 – via Google Books.
- ^ Tuckerman 1969, pp. 65–66.
- ^ Tuckerman 1969, pp. 70–71.
- ISBN 9781429016827. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^ Lossing 2009, p. 218.
- ^ Tuckerman 1969, pp. 79–80.
- ^ Tuckerman 1969, pp. 112–114.
- ^ Lossing, p. 320.
- ^ "Major General Arthur St. Clair". National Museum of the United States Army. January 27, 2015.
- ^ McBurney, Christian M. (January 16, 2015). "THE PLOT TO KIDNAP SCHUYLER". Journal of the American Revolution. Archived from the original on 2020-04-24. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
- ^ Mansion, Schuyler (2016-06-05). "Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site: An Overview of Slave Trade in New Netherland, New York and Schuyler Mansion". Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site. Retrieved 2020-12-14.
- ^ Tuckerman 1969, pp. 253–254.
- ^ Tuckerman 1969, pp. 254–258.
- ^ Tuckerman 1969, pp. 257–258.
- ^ "Republican Court: Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton (1757–1854)". www.librarycompany.org. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
- ^ a b Schuyler Family Bible, Collections of Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, Albany, NY.
- ^ Eliza Hamilton The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar J. Mazzeo
- ^ Schuyler, George W. (1885). Colonial New York: Philip Schuyler and His Family, Volume 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 282.
- ^ Bielinski, Stefan. "Rensselaer Schuyler". New York State Museum. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
- ^ "This Day in History: Cornelia Schuyler and Washington Morton are married!". Facebook: Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site. October 7, 2015. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ^ "Philip Schuyler". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ^ Schuyler, George W. (1885). Colonial New York: Philip Schuyler and His Family, Volume 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 283.
- ^ Williams, Michael (2020-06-19). "Slave-owner Gen. Philip Schuyler's name coming off Albany school". Times Union. Retrieved 2020-12-14.
- ^ Pitofsky, Marina (June 12, 2020). "Philip Schuyler statue to be removed from downtown Albany". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
- ^ Mulholland, Mark (June 12, 2020). "Schuylerville wants statue Albany's mayor wants removed". WNYT-TV. Albany, NY. Archived from the original on 2020-06-13.
- ^ Seiler, Casey; Franco, Jim (2023-06-10). "Albany's Schuyler statue removed". Times Union. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- ^ "Sydney James Harcourt | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
Further reading
- Barbagallo, Tricia (March 10, 2007). "Fellow Citizens Read a Horrid Tale" (PDF). New York Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-05-19. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
- Revolutionary Enigma: A Re-Appraisal of General Philip Schuyler of New York by Martin H. Bush; 1969; (ISBN 0-87198-080-0).
- Tuckerman, Bayard (1969) [1903]. Life of General Philip Schuyler, 1733–1804. Books for Libraries Press. ISBN 0-8369-5031-3.
- Proud Patriot: Philip Schuyler and the War of Independence, 1775–1783 by Don Gerlach; 1987; Syracuse University Press; (ISBN 0-8156-2373-9).
- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 37f; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
- The Real George Washington by the National Center for Constitutional Studies; 1991; 2009 reprint ISBN 0-88080-014-3
- McEneny Ingraham, Courtland D., "Philip Schuyler", Mount Vernon Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington, https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/philip-john-schuyler-1733-1804/
External links
- United States Congress. "Philip Schuyler (id: S000154)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Co-Planner of the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign Against the Iroquois
- Collection of Letters from Philip Schuyler
- Philip Schuyler Achievement Academy
- Finding Aid to Schuyler Family Collection, 1679–1823 at the New York State Library