Phillip French II (c. February 13, 1666/7 – c. June 3, 1707) was the 27th

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

from 1702 to 1703.

Early life

French was born in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, and was sometimes known as Philip French Van London. He was the son of Phillip French, a London merchant who owned property in Knodishall, and Elisabeth (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Crawling) French, his first wife. He has a brother, John French, who was mentioned in his 1706 will.

Career

French first came to New York in 1686. He returned again in June 1689, and became a prosperous merchant, working with Frederick Philipse on behalf of his father. In politics, he was an active anti- Leislerian. He became was Speaker of the Assembly in 1698 and an Alderman in 1701. At the time, he leased the dock for £40 sterling. On September 19, 1702, he was appointed the 27th

. French served from October 19, 1702 to October 1703.

Personal life

On July 8, 1694, French was married to Annetje "Anna" Philipse (b. 1667) at the Reformed Dutch Church in New York. She was the daughter of Margareta (née Hardenbroeck) Philipse and Frederick Philipse, the 1st Lord of Philipsburg Manor. Together, they were the parents of: * Philip French III (1697–1782), who married Susanna Brockholst (1696–1730), the daughter of Anthony Brockholst, an acting Governor of Colonial New York under Sir

Edmund Andros Sir Edmund Andros (6 December 1637 – 24 February 1714; also spelled ''Edmond'') was an English colonial administrator in British America. He was the governor of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. At other ...

. * Elizabeth French (c. 1700), who married Cornelius Van Horne, the son of Johannes Van Horne. * Anne French (c. 1703), who married Joseph Reade (1694–1771), a second-generation English prominent merchant. * Margareta French (c. 1705), who died unmarried. He prepared a will, dated May 29, 1706, that was proven June 3, 1707.

Descendants

Through his son Philip, was the grandfather of Susannah French (1723–1789) who married William Livingston (1723–1790), a politician who served as the

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

(1776–1790) during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and was a signer of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

. Another granddaughter through Philip, Elisabeth French (1724–1808), was married to David Clarkson (1726–1782), and they were the parents of Matthew Clarkson (1758–1825), a colonial soldier and politician, and Thomas Streatfeild Clarkson, the grandfather of Thomas S. Clarkson, the namesake of Clarkson University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:French, Phillip 1660s births 1707 deaths 17th-century American politicians 18th-century mayors of places in New York (state) Politicians from Suffolk Year of birth uncertain Place of birth unknown Year of death uncertain Place of death unknown Mayors of New York City Speakers of the New York General Assembly Members of the New York General Assembly Philipse family British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies

Early life

Career

Personal life

Descendants

See also

References