Elisha Jenkins (1772 – May 18, 1849) was an American politician who served as

New York Secretary of State The secretary of state of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York who leads the New York State Department of State, Department of State (NYSDOS). The current secretary of state of New York ...

and

Mayor of Albany In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Life

He was born to a

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

family, who in 1784 came to settle at

Hudson, New York Hudson is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. On the east side of the Hudson River, f ...

. He later lived in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, and was one of the first prominent Quakers there. Throughout his adult life, he was a dry goods merchant in the partnerships of Wendell & Jenkins and Thomas Jenkins & Sons. In 1792, he married Catherine Green (ca. 1771–1835), of Providence, R.I. After her death he married his second wife, Hannah. He was a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

from Columbia County in 1795 and 1798, but changed sides in 1798 when his close political friend

Ambrose Spencer Ambrose Spencer (December 13, 1765March 13, 1848) was an American lawyer and politician. Early life Ambrose Spencer was born on December 13, 1765, in Salisbury in the Connecticut Colony. He was the son of Philip Spencer and Mary (née Moore) Sp ...

joined the Democratic-Republicans. Jenkins was Columbia County Treasurer from 1798 to 1802, and

New York State Comptroller The New York state comptroller is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the New York state government's Department of Audit and Control. Sixty-one individuals have held the office of State Comptroller si ...

from 1801 to 1806. He was

from 1806 to 1807, from 1808 to 1810, and from 1811 to 1813. In April 1807, after his first term as Secretary of State, Jenkins was attacked in the street in Albany by Solomon Van Rensselaer, a

of whom Jenkins was a fierce critic. Jenkins sued for damages, and was awarded $2,500. He served as Quartermaster General of the Northern Department during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

from 1816 to 1819, and

presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

in 1840. He was twice a candidate for Congress: in the 6th congressional district in

1798 Events January–June * January – Eli Whitney contracts with the U.S. federal government for 10,000 muskets, which he produces with interchangeable parts. * January 4 – Constantine Hangerli enters Bucharest, as Prince of ...

, and in the 9th congressional district in

1816 This year was known as the ''Year Without a Summer'', because of low temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, possibly the result of the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, causing severe global cooling, catastrophic in some locati ...

. He died on May 18, 1849, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

References

Sources

* *

Entry at Long Island Genealogy

The Columbia County Civil List

Jenkins Genealogy, at Kindred Konnections

Essay with an account of Van Rensselaer's attack {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Elisha 1772 births 1848 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in New York (state) Mayors of Albany, New York Members of the New York State Assembly New York state comptrollers Secretaries of state of New York (state) American Quakers Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island 1840 United States presidential electors 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 18th-century members of the New York State Legislature Candidates in the 1798 United States elections