Henry Schermerhorn De Forest (February 16, 1847 – February 13, 1917) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from New York.

Early life

Henry Schermerhorn DeForest was born in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, on February 16, 1847. He was the third son of Sarah ( née Vedder) De Forest and Obadiah Lansing De Forest, who was first elected deputy sheriff on the Know Nothing ticket, and then three terms as the Democratic sheriff of Schenectady in 1855. His paternal grandparents were Jacob De Forest and Anna (née Lansing) De Forest. He attended the Union Classical Institute in Schenectady and graduated in 1864 from

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie ...

Eastman Business College The Eastman Business College was a business school located in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It operated from 1859 until it closed in 1931. At the height of its success, the school was one of the largest commercial colleges in the United St ...

Career

DeForest was a farmer, and specialized in the production of

broom corn ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a grass species cultivated for its grain, which is used for food for humans, animal feed, and ethanol produc ...

. He was also successful businessman, with interests including real estate, which made him the city's largest landlord. He was also a building contractor, with his company constructing more than 1,000 homes in the Schenectady area. In addition, he was active in banking as a board of directors member for the Citizens' Trust Companies. After the advent of the automobile, DeForest owned a

Pierce Pierce may refer to: Places Canada * Pierce Range, a mountain range on Vancouver Island, British Columbia United States * Pierce, Colorado * Pierce, Idaho * Pierce, Illinois * Pierce, Kentucky * Pierce, Nebraska * Pierce, Texas * Pierce, We ...

dealership in Schenectady. He served as Schenectady's City Recorder from 1883 to 1885. He served as Mayor from 1885 to 1887 and 1889 to 1891. As Mayor he successfully advocated for

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...

to locate in Schenectady when it was formed from the mergers of several other companies, including

Edison Machine Works The Edison Machine Works was a manufacturing company set up to produce dynamos, large electric motors, and other components of the electrical illumination system being built in the 1880s by Thomas A. Edison in New York City. History The need fo ...

, which had moved to Schenectady in 1886. As a result of his efforts, the expanded GE located in Schenectady in 1892. DeForest was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Sixty-second Congress (March 4, 1911, to March 3, 1913). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1912 to the Sixty-third Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination in 1914 to the Sixty-fourth Congress and for election in 1916 to the Sixty-fifth Congress.

Personal life

On September 6, 1876, DeForest married Lucie E. Van Epps (1849–1930), the daughter of Harmonus Van Epps. Together, they were the parents of two daughters: * Beulah DeForest, who married William Howard Wright. * Pearl DeForest, who married George Kellogg Morris. DeForest died in Schenectady on February 13, 1917, and was interred in

Vale Cemetery Vale Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery and the largest cemetery in Schenectady, New York. It opened on 21 October 1857 when the Rev. Julius Seely dedicated what was then termed "the Vale". It has tripled its size since opening and today it ...

in Schenectady. His widow died on September 5, 1930.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:De Forest, Henry Schermerhorn 1847 births 1917 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Mayors of Schenectady, New York 19th-century American politicians Burials in New York (state)