Theodorus Bailey (October 12, 1758September 6, 1828) was an American lawyer and politician from

Poughkeepsie, New York 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. Poughkeepsi ...

, who represented New York in both the

U.S. House 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 ...

and Senate.

Early life

Bailey was born near Fishkill in the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the U ...

on October 12, 1758 where he attended the rural schools and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1778 and commenced practice in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Career

He served with the New York Militia during the Revolutionary War. He also served in the State militia from 1786 until 1805 and attained the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. Bailey ran for Congress in March 1789, but was defeated by Federalist

Egbert Benson Egbert Benson (June 21, 1746 – August 24, 1833) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician, who represented New York State in the Continental Congress, Annapolis Convention, and United States House of Representatives. He served as a membe ...

. Bailey was elected as a

Democratic-Republican 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 early ...

to the 3rd and the 4th United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1793, to March 3, 1797. He was elected again to the

6th United States Congress The 6th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and in Washington, D ...

, serving from March 4, 1799, to March 3, 1801. In April 1801, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, but vacated his seat before the State Legislature convened, because he was elected to the

7th United States Congress The 7th 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 in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1801, ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Thomas Tillotson Thomas Tillotson (May 5, 1832) was an American physician and politician. Life Born in the Province of Maryland around 1751 or 1752, Tillotson received a thorough education, studied medicine, and practiced. He was the great great nephew of the A ...

, and served from December 7, 1801, to March 3, 1803. In

1803 Events * January 1 – The first edition of Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de La Reynière's ''Almanach des gourmands'', the first guide to restaurant cooking, is published in Paris. * January 5 – William Symington demonstrates his ...

, Bailey was elected a

U.S. Senator from New York Below is a list of U.S. senators who have represented the State of New York in the United States Senate since 1789. The date of the start of the tenure is either the first day of the legislative term (Senators who were elected regularly before th ...

, and served from March 4, 1803, to January 16, 1804, when he resigned to accept the position of

Postmaster of New York City A post office may have operated in New York City as early as 1687. The United States Postal Service has no information on New York's postmasters prior to the year 1775. The New York City Post Office is first mentioned in Hugh Finlay's journal dat ...

, which he held until his death.

Personal life

Bailey was married to Rebecca Tallmadge (1779-1807). She was the daughter of Col. James Tallmadge (1744-1821) and the sister of Matthias B. Tallmadge (1774-1819), a federal judge from New York, and James Tallmadge Jr. (1778–1853), who 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 ...

and who served as Lieutenant Governor of New York under De Witt Clinton. Together, they were the parents of: * Catherine Rebecca Bailey (1804-1844), who married William Cecil Woolsey (1796-1840) in 1829. * Ann Eliza Bailey (d. 1878), who married Arthur Bronson (1801–1844), a son of Isaac Bronson. Bailey died in New York, New York County, New York, on September 6, 1828 (age 69 years, 330 days). He was

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Dutch Burying Ground, Manhattan, New York; and was re-interred on January 8, 1864, at

Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery The Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery is a rural cemetery located in Poughkeepsie, New York and includes the gravesites of several notable figures. It also has a crematory. The forty-four acres of land used for the cemetery were purchased by Matthew Vass ...

, Poughkeepsie, New York.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Theodorus 1758 births 1828 deaths People from Fishkill, New York People of the Province of New York American people of English descent Anti-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from New York (state) Members of the New York State Assembly Postmasters of New York City American slave owners Politicians from New York City Politicians from Poughkeepsie, New York United States militia in the American Revolution Burials at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery United States senators who owned slaves