Aaron Vanderpoel (February 5, 1799 – July 18, 1870) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

for three terms. He served from 1833 to 1837, and again from 1839 to 1841. He was a close friend of

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...

Early life

Aaron Vanderpoel was the youngest of six children born in

Kinderhook, New York Kinderhook is a town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 8,330 at the 2020 census,U.S. Census, 2020, 'Kinderhook town, Columbia County, New York' making it the most populous municipality in Columb ...

to Isaac Vanderpoel (1747–1807) and Moyca Vanderpoel (

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 ...

Huyck, 1758–1827): Anne Vanderpoel (1785–1787), James Vanderpoel (1787–1843), who married Anna Doll (1782–1855) on April 7, 1808 (their daughter, Elizabeth Vanderpoel (1814–1844), married

John Van Buren John Van Buren (February 18, 1810 – October 13, 1866) was an American lawyer, official and politician. In addition to serving as a key advisor to his father, President Martin Van Buren, he was also Attorney General of New York from 1845 to 1 ...

(1810–1866), the second son of President

), Anne Vanderpoel (1789-1793), Elizabeth Vanderpoel (1791–1833), who married Lucas J. Van Alen on January 16, 1815, John Vanderpoel (1796-1851), who married Sarah W. Oakley on January 14, 1823, and was a judge of the

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

in Albany, and Aaron Vanderpoel (1799–1870). Vanderpoel and most of his siblings were educated at Kinderhook Academy and

Lenox Academy Lenox Academy is a historic school building at 65 Main Street in Lenox, Massachusetts. Built in 1802-03 as a private academy, it was the first secondary school to open in Berkshire County. It was subsequently used as the town's high school, and ...

. Vanderpoel's maternal grandparents were Jacobus "James" Huyck of Pompaonie and Elizabeth Huyck (

Van Dyck) (b. October 17, 1758). His great-grandparents were Arent Van Dyck and Heyltie Van Dyck (

Van Alen). His paternal grandparents were Johannes "John" Van der Poel and Annatje Staats (

Nautje). On October 20, 1775, during the Revolutionary War, Vanderpoel's father, Isaac, was commissioned

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the 7th Regiment of New York Militia, the organization raised in the militia's Kinderhook District. After some time, he was removed from his position for disaffection to the American government. He then joined the British forces and commanded a company of

refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

s on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

. During this time, he became very ill and purportedly through the influence of his mother, he was able to pass through the American lines and be brought home to be cared for. This was arranged with her relative General

Pieter Schuyler Pieter Schuyler (17 September 1657 – 19 February 1724) was the first mayor of Albany, New York. A long-serving member of the executive council of the Province of New York, he acted as governor of the Province of New York on three occasions ...

. Upon his recovery, he returned to his company on Staten Island. After the war ended, his estate was confiscated by the government for his allegiance to the United Kingdom, and he was left penniless. After his marriage, however, he purchased a small farm in Chatham,

, about a mile and a half from Kinderhook Lake, where he died on December 25, 1807.

Biography

Vanderpoel studied law with Peter van Schaack before completing his studies with his brother James Vanderpoel. Vanderpoel was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1820 and commenced practice in

. He went on to serve as member of 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 ...

from 1826 to 1830.

United States Congress

Vanderpoel was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1836 to the

Twenty-fifth Congress The 25th 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, 183 ...

. Vanderpoel was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the

Twenty-sixth Congress The 26th 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, 183 ...

(March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841). He retired from Congress and settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He served as judge of the superior court from 1842 to 1850. During his congressional service, he acquired the nickname of the "Kinderhook roarer" because of the power of his voice and his oratorical skills.

Personal life

Vanderpoel was married twice. The first time was to Harriet Baldwin on September 3, 1821, who died in April 1837. The second was to Ellen McBride on April 2, 1839. With Ellen, he had two children. He died at his residence on 16th Street in New York City on July 18, 1870, and was interred in

Woodlawn Cemetery Woodlawn Cemetery is the name of several cemeteries, including: Canada * Woodlawn Cemetery (Saskatoon) * Woodlawn Cemetery (Nova Scotia) United States ''(by state then city or town)'' * Woodlawn Cemetery (Ocala, Florida), where Isaac Rice and fa ...

. The funeral service for Vanderpoel was held at St. George's Church in

Stuyvesant Square Stuyvesant Square is the name of both a park and its surrounding neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The park is located between 15th Street, 17th Street, Rutherford Place, and Nathan D. Perlman Place (formerly Livingston ...

References

External sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vanderpoel, Aaron 1799 births 1870 deaths Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) lawyers New York state court judges People from Kinderhook, New York

Aaron According to the Old Testament of the Bible, Aaron ( or ) was an Israelite prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of Moses. Information about Aaron comes exclusively from religious texts, such as the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament ...

19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives