William Alexander Duer
William Alexander Duer | |
---|---|
7th President of Columbia University | |
In office 1829–1842 | |
Preceded by | William Harris |
Succeeded by | Nathaniel Fish Moore |
Personal details | |
Born | Lord Stirling (grandfather) | September 8, 1780
William Alexander Duer (September 8, 1780 – May 30, 1858) was an American lawyer, jurist, and educator from New York City who served as the President of Columbia University from 1829 to 1842. He was also a slaveholder, owning numerous enslaved African Americans.[1]
Early life
He was the son of
Career
During the quasi-war with France in 1798 he obtained the appointment of midshipman in the navy, and served under Stephen Decatur. After the conflict with France ended, he resumed his studies with Pendleton, and was admitted to the bar in 1802.[2]
He engaged in business with Edward Livingston, who was then district attorney and mayor of New York. After Livingston moved to New Orleans, Duer formed a professional partnership with his brother-in-law, Beverley Robinson. In addition to practicing law, he contributed to a partisan weekly paper called the Corrector, conducted by Peter Irving in support of Aaron Burr. Duer later moved to New Orleans to again form a law partnership with Livingston, and also made a study of Spanish civil law, which had governed New Orleans in its early years. Duer found the climate in New Orleans disagreeable to his health, and this factor coupled with his marriage with the daughter of William Denning, a prominent New York politician and businessman, convinced him to return to New York City.[2]
In New York, he contributed literary articles to the Morning Chronicle, the newspaper of his friend Peter Irving. He next opened an office in
From 1822 until 1829, he was a judge of the
Works
After retiring, he wrote the life of his grandfather, Lord Stirling (published by the Historical Society of New Jersey). In 1847 he delivered an address in the college chapel before the literary societies of Columbia, and in 1848 an historical address before the St. Nicholas Society, which gives early reminiscences of New York, and describes the scenes connected with the inauguration of President Washington, both of which were published. He was the author of two pamphlets addressed to Cadwallader D. Colden on the "Steamboat Controversy," and the "Life of William Alexander, Earl of Stirling" (New York, 1847).[2]
Family
He was married to Hannah Maria Denning (1782–1862), daughter of William Denning, a prominent whig of New York. Together they had:
- Henrietta Amelia Duer (d. 1824)
- Frances Maria Duer (1809–1905)
- Catherine Theodora Duer (1811–1877)
- William Alexander Denning Duer (1812–1891), a banker with Prime, Ward & King who married Caroline King (1813–1863), daughter of James G. King
- Eleanor Duer (1814–1892)
- Edward Alexander Duer (1815–1831)
- Sarah Henderson Duer (1817–1856)
- John King Duer (1818–1859), who married Georgeanna Huyler (1818–1884)
- Elizabeth Denning Duer (1821–1900), who married Archibald Gracie King (1821–1897), son of James G. King
- Henrietta Duer (1828–1832), who died young.
Duer died on Staten Island on May 30, 1858; he was buried at First Presbyterian Churchyard, Morristown.
Notes
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2018) |
- ^ "Early Presidents". Columbia University. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Wilson & Fiske 1900.
References
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
External links
- Media related to William Alexander Duer at Wikimedia Commons
- William Duer (1817) A letter, addressed to Cadwaller D. Colden, Esquire, in answer to the strictures, contained in his "Life of Robert Fulton" - digital facsimile from the Linda Hall Library