Peter Van Gaasbeck (September 27, 1754 – 1797) was an American merchant and politician from

Kingston, New York Kingston is the only Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in, and the county seat of, Ulster County, New York, United States. It is north of New York City and south of Albany, New York, Albany. The city's metropolitan area is grou ...

. He was born in

Ulster County, New York Ulster County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston, ...

, and educated in Kingston. During the Revolutionary War he served as a Major in the

Ulster County Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. The count ...

militia. Van Gaasbeck was a successful merchant. He owned slaves. He was a supporter of the

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

administration (the group later recognized as the

Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a conservativeMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * and nationalist American political party and the first political party in the United States. It dominated the national government under Alexander Hamilton from 17 ...

), and was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. He represented

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in the

3rd United States Congress The 3rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pen ...

, from March 4, 1793 to March 3, 1795, after being the Federalist candidate for his seat in 1791. In 1794 Van Gaasbeck married Sarah Dumont (or Dumond). He died in Kingston in 1797 and was buried at the First Dutch Reformed Church in Kingston. His name is sometimes spelled "Van Gaasbeek."

References

External links

*
The History of Kingston, New York: From Its Early Settlement to the Year 1820
', by Marius Schoonmaker 1754 births 1797 deaths People from Ulster County, New York People from colonial New York American politicians of Dutch descent Pro-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) American slave owners Politicians from Kingston, New York New York (state) militiamen in the American Revolution 18th-century American merchants 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Candidates in the 1790–1791 United States elections {{NewYork-Representative-stub