Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Marinus Willett (July 31, 1740 – August 22, 1830) was an American military officer, politician and merchant who served as the mayor of New York City from 1807 to 1808. Willett is best known for his actions during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, where he served as an important Patriot leader in colonial New York before enlisting in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

and serving in numerous campaigns in the Revolutionary War throughout the

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each s ...

. Born in Jamaica, Queens, Willett underwent an

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

as a

cabinetmaker A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (so ...

before enlisting in the provincial militia after the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

broke out in 1754. He participated in the Ticonderoga campaign and the British capture of Fort Frontenac in 1758, before falling sick and being transferred to Fort Stanwix in order to recuperate. After the end of the conflict, he entered King's College in New York in 1772 and graduated in 1776. A prominent member of the Sons of Liberty, Willett enlisted in the

1st New York Regiment The 1st New York Regiment was authorized on 25 May 1775 and organized at New York City from 28 June to 4 August, for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel Alexander McDougall. The enlistments of the first establishment en ...

in 1775, taking part in the failed Invasion of Quebec before transferring to the

3rd New York Regiment The 3rd New York Regiment was authorized May 25, 1775, and organized from June 28 to August 4 from the counties of Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, and Suffolk under the command of Colonel James Clinton for five months service in Canada. The enlist ...

in 1776. Fighting at

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

, Willett subsequently participated in the 1778 Sullivan Expedition. He was made

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

of the

5th New York Regiment The 5th New York Regiment was authorized on November 30, 1776, as part of the New York Line for service with the Continental Army, under Colonel Lewis DuBois. It was organized January 26, 1777, from companies in central New York and assigned to ...

in 1780 and the Tryon County militia in 1781, where he fought at Johnstown before the war's end in 1783. After the conflict, Willett returned to New York, working as a merchant and aligning himself with the Anti-Federalist Party; he was elected to 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 ...

in December 1783. In addition to serving intermittently as New York County Sheriff, Willett also served as New York City's mayor for a year. On August 22, 1830, Willett died and was buried in the graveyard of Trinity Church. The town of Willet, New York, is named in his honor.

Early life

Marinus Willett was born on July 31, 1740, in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Willett's father was Edward Willett, a Quaker tavernkeeper in New York, and his mother was Aleta Willett (''née'' Clowes). Growing up, he underwent an

as a

. After the

broke out in 1754, Willett enlisted in a regiment of the provincial militia of New York commanded by Oliver De Lancey at the of rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. Serving under De Lancey, Willett participated in the Ticonderoga campaign led by James Abercrombie in July 1758 and John Bradstreet's capture of Fort Frontenac in August 1758. In the same year, he fell sick and was transferred to British-controlled Fort Stanwix in order to recuperate. After the conflict concluded in 1763, Willett returned to New York City, where he eventually entered into King's College in 1772 and graduated in 1776. As tensions increased between

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

and its North American colonies, Willett aligned himself with the Patriot cause and quickly became an informal leader of the New York City branch of the Sons of Liberty. As noted by American historian Larry Lowenthal, his primary activities during this period consisted of inciting colonial public opinion to support the Patriot cause via rabble-rousing tactics and engaging in numerous

street fights Street fighting is hand-to-hand combat in public places, between individuals or groups of people. The venue is usually a public place (e.g. a street) and the fight sometimes results in serious injury or occasionally even death. Some street fig ...

American Revolutionary War

After news of the Battles of Lexington and Concord reached New York City on April 23, 1775, Willett and a group of fellow Patriots broke into the city arsenal and plundered its contents. When British forces stationed in the city attempted to load a convoy of military supplies onto the ''

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

'' on June 6, he led a crowd which confiscated the convoy. On June 20, Willett was involved in a Patriot raid on a British storehouse in

Turtle Bay, Manhattan Turtle Bay is a neighborhood in New York City, on the east side of Midtown Manhattan. It extends from roughly 43rd Street to 53rd Streets, and eastward from Lexington Avenue to the East River's western branch (facing Roosevelt Island).Gin ...

. On June 28, 1775, Willett enlisted in the

of the

New York Line The New York Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "New York Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to New York at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with similar contingen ...

at the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

; the regiment was led by Alexander McDougall. Six weeks later, the regiment took part in

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and he is most famous for l ...

's failed invasion of British-held Quebec, including the Battle of Quebec on December 31, 1775. After returning to New York City, Willett fought against the British in the Battle of Long Island on August 26, 1776. Willett enlisted in the

at the rank of

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

in mid-1776. Serving as

Peter Gansevoort Peter Gansevoort (July 17, 1749 – July 2, 1812) was a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for leading the resistance to Barry St. Leger's Siege of Fort Stanwix in 1777. Gansevoort was also th ...

's aide-de-camp in the New York Highlands, Willett arrived at the now-abandoned Fort Stanwix in late-1777, renovating it and hastily establishing a garrison. On August 6, 1777, Willett led a successful raid on the camps of

Barry St. Leger Barrimore Matthew "Barry" St. Leger (bapt. 1 May 1733 – 23 December 1793) was a British Army officer. St. Leger was active in the Saratoga Campaign, commanding an invasion force that unsuccessfully besieged Fort Stanwix. St. Leger remaine ...

and Sir John Johnson, capturing large quantities of supplies and

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...

. In June 1778, as his regiment was stationed at Fort Stanwix, Willett received permission from Gansevoort to join an army commanded by

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

, participating in the Battle of Monmouth on June 28. Willett then participated in an expedition led by

Goose Van Schaick Goose Van Schaick (September 5, 1736 – July 4, 1789) was a Continental Army officer during the American Revolutionary War. Early life Van Schaick was born in Albany on September 5, 1736. He was the first child born to Sybrant Van Schaick, who s ...

against the Onondaga on April 1778 before returning to his regiment and seeing action in the Sullivan Expedition against British-allied

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

on May 1779. Willett was made

of the

in early 1780, serving in the regiment until January 1, 1781, when it was disbanded. In April 1781, he was appointed as colonel of the Tryon County militia, with whom Willett secured a victory over a British-Indian force at Johnstown on October 25. After leading an aborted attempted to capture Fort Ontario, Willett's men disbanded themselves in 1783, bringing his military career to an end.

Political career and death

After the conflict's end, Willett returned to New York City and started working as a merchant. He subsequently aligned himself politically with the Anti-Federalist Party, including governor of New York George Clinton, to whom Willett served as a political advisor. Together, the pair frequently discussed plans to counter the political influence of the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...

, which was dominated by politicians from the American South. In addition to being elected to the

in December 1783, Willett also twice served as the Sheriff of New York County. In 1790, George Washington, by now serving as the U.S. President, dispatched Willett as a diplomatic envoy to the Muscogee in order to persuade Alexander McGillivray, a prominent Muscogee leader, to come to New York City and negotiate with the federal government. Willett's mission was successful, and a delegation of twenty-seven Muscogee leaders led by McGillivray came to the city and negotiated the 1790 Treaty of New York with Washington and United States Secretary of War

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following th ...

. The treaty delineated clear borders between American and Muscogee lands. Willett continued to advise the federal government on indigenous affairs after the treaty was signed. As noted by historian

Colin G. Calloway Colin Gordon Calloway (born 1953) is a British-American historian. Life He is the John Kimball, Jr. 1943 Professor of History and a professor of Native American Studies at Dartmouth College. Awards and honors * 2004 Merle Curti Award * 2004 Ca ...

, when tensions rose between encroaching settlers from Georgia and Muscogee tribals on the American frontier, Willett wrote a letter to Washington warning him against authorising a military offensive against the Muscogee without conducting a thorough investigation on the cause for the tensions. In the letter, Willett claimed that territorial ambitions from the "leading men of Georgia" were to blame for ongoing U.S. tensions with the Muscogee. In April 1792, Willett was appointed by Washington to command American forces in the ongoing Northwest Indian War at the rank of brigadier-general, though he did not accept the appointment. In a letter to Washington explaining his decision, Willett argued against the United States government's decision to fight the war, claiming that it "would be the last choice of my mind" and that a policy of pursuing peace on the Ohio Country frontier was far more preferable. Willett was subsequently appointed to serve as a emissary to the

Northwestern Confederacy The Northwestern Confederacy, or Northwestern Indian Confederacy, was a loose confederacy of Native Americans in the Great Lakes region of the United States created after the American Revolutionary War. Formally, the confederacy referred to i ...

, which he also declined. From 1807 to 1808, Willett served as New York City mayor, having previously joined the Democratic-Republican Party. In 1811, the death of John Broome left a vacancy in the office of New York Lieutenant Governor. Willett participated in a special election as the

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

candidate, where he was defeated by DeWitt Clinton; this led to Willett retiring from politics. On August 22, 1830, Willett died and was buried in Trinity Church, after a lavish funeral service which included 10,000 mourners. His corpse was later reburied in the

New York City Marble Cemetery The New York City Marble Cemetery is a historic cemetery founded in 1831, and located at 52-74 East 2nd Street between First and Second Avenues in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The cemetery has 258 undergr ...

Personal life, family, and legacy

Mrs Marinus Willett and Her Son Marinus Jr by John Vanderlyn

Throughout his life, Willett was " eryinterested in social services and the needs of

merican ''Merican'' is an EP by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released February 10, 2004. It was the band's first release for Fat Wreck Chords and served as a pre-release to their sixth studio album ''Cool to Be You'', released the follo ...

citizens", establishing several relief centers, medical centers, and hospitals in New York City "to assist the needy". Having amassed a personal fortune through

land speculation In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline in value.) Many ...

and the purchase of confiscated Loyalist estates after the Revolutionary War, Willett invested in these medical institutions and took an active interest in their management until his death in 1830. Willett was one of the original members of the Society of the Cincinnati, a fraternal hereditary society founded in 1783; the society's membership was restricted to those who had served as military officers in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. In 1791, Willett commissioned American painter Ralph Earl to paint a full-length portrait of him. In , he paid for the

neoclassicist Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism wa ...

artist John Vanderlyn to paint his wife Margaret and son Marinus Jr. Over the course of his life, Willett married thrice. In 1760, he married Mary Pearsee, and had one child together, a son named Marinus, Jr. who died in 1778. After Mary passed away in 1793, Willett remarried to a widow named Susannah Vardill; the marriage ended in 1799, when she filed for divorce from him. Willett remarried again for a third and final time to Margaret Bancker , with whom he had five children: Marinus Jr., William, Edward, Elbert, and Margaret. Numerous locations were named after Willett both during and after his life. A street in Albany, New York, bordering Washington Park, was named in honor of Willett, as was Willet, a town in Cortland County, New York. A memorial plaque commemorating Willett was fixed to a boulder in the Albany park in 1907. The boulder was struck numerous times in traffic collisions, so it was moved to a different location in 2006 in anticipation of the park's 200th anniversary.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

Books

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Websites

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Willett, Marinus 1740 births 1830 deaths 18th-century American businesspeople 18th-century British North American people 18th-century United States government officials 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American philanthropists 19th-century United States government officials American military personnel of the Seven Years' War British America army officers Burials at New York City Marble Cemetery Columbia College (New York) alumni Continental Army officers from New York (state) Mayors of New York City Merchants from the Thirteen Colonies Members of the New York State Assembly Military personnel of the American Revolutionary War New York (state) militiamen in the American Revolution People from Jamaica, Queens People of New York in the French and Indian War Politicians from the Thirteen Colonies Sheriffs of New York County, New York