William Peartree

William Peartree (c. 1643–1714) was the 28th Mayor of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

from 1703 to 1707. He married Anna, daughter of Daniel Liczko (1615–1662) (a lieutenant of Peter Stuyvesant) and Annetje Croesen Litsco, who later for many years entertained at "Mother Litsco's Tavern" on lower Pearl Street near the Brooklyn ferry. Peartree began his career as a planter in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

in the Caribbean and, during

King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand All ...

with France, had success as a

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

. After

Port Royal, Jamaica Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and c ...

sank into the sea in the earthquake of 1692, Peartree moved back to

much enriched from his depredation upon

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and French shipping. When

Queen Anne's War Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In E ...

began in 1702, William Peartree was elected mayor in 1703, as New Yorkers saw fit to elect an experienced naval captain to defend the town. He served as mayor until 1707 and died in 1714. William Peartree's great-grandson, William Peartree Smith, was a founder of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. Mayors of New York City English privateers 1640s births 1714 deaths {{NewYork-mayor-stub