Volkert P. Douw | |
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| Member of the New York State Senate | |
| In office July 1, 1785 – June 30, 1793 | |
| Preceded by | William B. Whiting |
| Succeeded by | Jacobus Van Schoonhoven |
| Member of theNew York General Assembly | |
| In office 1761–1780s | |
| Mayor of Albany, New York | |
| In office 1761–1770 | |
| Governor | Cadwallader Colden Sir Henry Moore, Bt. |
| Preceded by | Sybrant Gozen Van Schaick |
| Succeeded by | Abraham Cuyler |
| Recorder of Albany, New York | |
| In office 1750–1760 | |
| Preceded by | John G. Roseboom |
| Succeeded by | John Ten Eyck |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Volkert Petrus Douw (1720-03-23)March 23, 1720 Albany,Province of New York,British America |
| Died | March 20, 1801(1801-03-20) (aged 80) Albany,New York,U.S. |
| Resting place | Albany Rural Cemetery |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 9 |
| Relatives | Peter Gansevoort (nephew) Leonard Gansevoort (nephew) Hendrick van Rensselaer (grandfather) |
Volkert Petrus Douw (March 23, 1720 – March 20, 1801) was a merchant and politician fromAlbany, New York, who was prominent both during colonial times and after the United States was established.[1]
Douw was born on March 23, 1720, inAlbany, New York.[2] He was the only surviving son of nine children born to Petrus Douw (1692–1775), of an old Dutch family,[3] and Anna (née Van Rensselaer) Douw (1696–1756).[4][5] His siblings included Magdalena Douw (1718–1796), who married Harmen Gansevoort (1712–1801), Maria Douw (1725–1759), who married Johannes Gansevoort, and Rachel Douw (1736–1806).[2]
His maternal grandparents wereHendrick van Rensselaer (1667–1740), director ofFort Crailo, the Eastern patent of theRensselaerswyck manor, and Catharina Van Brugh, herself the daughter of merchantJohannes Pieterse Van Brugh (1624–1697) and sister ofPieter Van Brugh (1666–1740), mayor of Albany from 1699 to 1700 and again from 1721 to 1723.[6] Through his sister Maria, he was uncle to Brig. Gen.Peter Gansevoort (1749–1812) andState Senator andAssemblymenLeonard Gansevoort (1751–1810).[6]
He worked as a skipper on theHudson River but eventually returned to Albany to run the family store.[4] During theSeven Years' War, or theFrench and Indian War as it was known in the colonies, which took place from 1754 to 1763, he was a Captain of the Colonial Militia and the first Judge of Albany County Court, serving from 1757 to 1775.[1] From 1750 to 1760, he was City Recorder (Deputy Mayor) of Albany.[7] In 1760, Douw was appointed as mayor ofAlbany, New York, serving from 1761 to 1770, following Sybrant Gozen Van Schaick.[8] He was succeeded byAbraham Cuyler. From 1761 until the 1780s, he was a member of theColonial General Assembly of New York.[8]
In 1774, and again in 1775, he served asCommissioner of Indian Affairs in for theProvince of New York.[9] During the firstNew York Provincial Congress, which was convened in New York City on May 22, 1775, Douw served as vice-president withPeter Van Brugh Livingston as president.[10] During theAmerican Revolution, he was a member of the AlbanyCommittee of Correspondence.[1]
Following the establishment ofNew York State, Douw served in the new government as a member of theNew York State Senate, beginning on July 1, 1785, serving in the9th,10th,11th,12th,13th,14th,15th, and16th New York State Legislatures. He retired from the Senate on June 30, 1793, after representing one of five seats for the Western District which consisted ofAlbany,Montgomery,Herkimer,Ontario,Otsego,Saratoga andTioga counties.[8] FollowingVirginia'sRatifying Convention in June 1788, where they became the tenth state to ratify theUnited States Constitution, New York held their Convention held inPoughkeepsie, New York, in July 1788 presided by Gov.George Clinton. Despite Douw's vote against ratification,[11] New York became the eleventh state to ratify on July 26, 1788.[8] By 1790, his household owned 14 slaves.[4]
On May 20, 1742, Douw was married to Anna De Peyster (1723–1794),[12] the daughter ofJohannes de Peyster III (1694–1783), who also served as mayor of Albany. They built a home in the country known as Wolvenhook,[13] located on the eastern bank of theHudson River, about a mile below Albany.[1] Together, they were the parents of nine children, including:[2][12]
He was a lifelong friend of GeneralPhilip Schuyler,[16] and after his death it was said of him that he was "a true patriot; in civil and domestic relations, he was considered a pattern, and no man in Albany died more regretted."[3] He was described as:
He was tall and dignified, standing six feet two inches, as straight as an arrow; said by some to be handsome. He had a clean-shaven face, exposing a firm mouth and piercing eyes. He wore his hair in peculiar fashion, probably common to others of his standing in those times, tied in a queue, with his front hair brushed back in severe lines and powdered. He usually wore a longwaisted coat, the skirts reaching nearly to his ankles, which was adorned with large silver buttons made from Spanish coins. Knee breeches, silk stockings, and shoes with silver buckles shining, these set with rhinestones, heightened the general effect; but more prominent than these was his cocked hat. He carried a silver-headed cane, and bore a turnipshaped, silver watch, from which hung a heavy seal, while his tobacco or snuff-box was engraved with initials and coat-of-arms.[3]
Douw died on March 20, 1801, in Albany.[2] He was buried at theAlbany Rural Cemetery.[4][17]
Through his son John, who was close friends with theMarquis de Lafayette,[18] he was the grandfather of Volckert Peter Douw (1790–1869),[19] Anna De Peyster Douw Cuyler (1798–1871), Margaret Livingston Douw Abbe (1798–1878), John De Peyster Douw (1812–1901),[18] Catharine Louisa Douw Townsend (1817–1891), and Harriet Maria Douw Johnson (1824–1852).[6]
Through his daughter Magdalena, he was the grandfather of James Stevenson (1788–1852), who also served as mayor of Albany from 1826 to 1828.[3]
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| Preceded by | Mayor of Albany, New York 1761–1770 | Succeeded by |
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