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 mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

from 1702 to 1703.

Early life

French was born in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

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

Knodishall Knodishall, a village in Suffolk, England, lies south-east of Saxmundham, south-west of Leiston, and 3 miles from the coast, in the Blything Hundred. Most dwellings are now at Coldfair Green; just a few remain in the original village by the pa ...

, and Elisabeth (

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

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 Frederick Philipse (born Frederick Flypsen;Appleton, W.S. ''The Heraldic Journal, Recording the Amorial Bearings and Genealogies of American Families'', Wiggen & Lunt, Boston, 1867 1626 in Bolsward, Netherlands – December 23, 1702), first Lord ...

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

, 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) 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 times, Andros served ...

. * 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 New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

(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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and was a signer of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

. Another granddaughter through Philip, Elisabeth French (1724–1808), was married to David Clarkson (1726–1782), and they were the parents of

Matthew Clarkson Matthew Clarkson (October 17, 1758 – April 25, 1825) was a colonial soldier and politician. Clarkson Street in Greenwich Village and the town of Clarkson in Western New York were both named after him. Early life Clarkson was born on October ...

(1758–1825), a colonial soldier and politician, and Thomas Streatfeild Clarkson, the grandfather of Thomas S. Clarkson, the namesake of

Clarkson University Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region and Beacon, New York. It was founded in 1896 and has an en ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:French, Phillip 1600s births 1700s deaths Year of birth unknown Place of birth unknown Year of death unknown 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

Early life

Career

Personal life

Descendants

See also

References