 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
David M. De Witt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| New York State Assembly (Ulster Co., 2nd D.) | |
| In office 1883 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's14th district | |
| In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 | |
| Preceded by | Eli Perry |
| Succeeded by | George M. Beebe |
| District attorney ofUlster County | |
| In office 1863–1870 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 25, 1837 Paterson, New Jersey, United States |
| Died | June 23, 1912(1912-06-23) (aged 74) Kingston, New York, United States |
| Resting place | Wiltwyck Rural Cemetery |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Rutgers College |
| Occupation | Attorney,politician |
David Miller De Witt (November 25, 1837 – June 23, 1912) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as aU.S. Representative fromNew York from 1873 to 1875.[1]
Born inPaterson, New Jersey, he was the son of Moses Edwards and Lydia Ann (Miller) DeWitt. His father was fromRosendale, New York and his mother fromHunterdon County, New Jersey. His father was a merchant who had moved to New Jersey around 1823 or 1824. His first wife, whom he married October 4, 1826 in Paterson, New Jersey, was Margaret Salome Goetschius (1791-1833), who was also an Ulster County native and was his third cousin. They had two children, Charles DuBois DeWitt and Catherine DeWitt.[2]
His father married a second time, to Lydia, on September 8, 1835 inClinton, New Jersey. Lydia was the daughter of David and Elizabeth (Welsh) Miller, and younger sister of United States Congressman from New JerseyJacob W. Miller. David was the oldest of the children born to Moses and Lydia, with his younger full siblings being William Cantine DeWitt, John Henry DeWitt, Thomas DeWitt and Elizabeth DeWitt.[3]
De Witt moved to New York in 1845 with his parents, who settled in Brooklyn. As a youth, De Witt attended the public schools of Brooklyn, a select school at Saugerties, and the local academy at Kingston.
He was graduated fromRutgers College,New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1858, where he studied law.De Witt wasadmitted to the bar in 1858 and commenced practice inKingston, New York.Principal ofNew Paltz Academy (later a State normal school) in 1861 and 1862.He served as district attorney of Ulster County 1863–1870.He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection.
De Witt was elected as aDemocrat to theForty-third Congress (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875).He was not a candidate for renomination.
He resumed the practice of law and also engaged in literary pursuits, includingThe Judicial Murder of Mary E. Surratt (1895), The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (1898), andThe impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson (1903).From 1878 to 1881, he served as assistant corporation counsel ofBrooklyn, New YorkHe was a member of theNew York State Assembly (Ulster Co., 2nd D.) in1883.Corporation counsel of Kingston in 1884.Surrogate of Ulster County from November 20, 1885, to December 31, 1886.
He again engaged in the practice of law.
He died inKingston, New York, June 23, 1912 and was interred in Wiltwyck Rural Cemetery in Kingston.
On April 10, 1867, De Witt married Mary Antoinette MacDonald (1844-1923) inNew Brunswick, New Jersey. She was the daughter of Richard MacDonald (1803-1894), who served as mayor of New Brunswick from 1863 to 1865.[4] David and Mary had four sons:
De Witt's grandfather, John Charles DeWitt (1755-1833), was a New York State Assemblyman for several terms and the town supervisor ofHurley, New York multiple times. His great-grandfather wasCharles DeWitt; he is also a distant cousin of New York GovernorDeWitt Clinton through the DeWitt family, as well as a descendant ofLouis DuBois.
His uncle, Matthew Cantine DeWitt, served asMarbletown, New York town supervisor in 1843; his uncle, William Henry Romeyn (who married his aunt Mary Margaret DeWitt) was postmaster ofKingston, New York from 1849 to 1853. His first cousin wasGeorge Macculloch Miller.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 14th congressional district 1873–1875 | Succeeded by |
| New York State Assembly | ||
| Preceded by Eugene F. Patten | New York State Assembly Ulster County, 2nd District 1883 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
