Brinley Dering Sleight (March 11, 1835 – December 10, 1913) was an American politician and newspaper editor and publisher from Sag Harbor, New York.

Life

Sleight was born on March 11, 1835 in

Sag Harbor, New York Sag Harbor is an Administrative divisions of New York#Village, incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns of Southampton, New York, Southampton and East Hampton (town) ...

, the son of William Rysam Sleight and Anna Charlotte Dering. His father was an owner and outfitter of whale ships and a partner in the firm Mulford & Sleight. Sleight spent several years at the Washington Institute in

Murray Hill, Manhattan Murray Hill is a neighborhood on the East Side (Manhattan), east side of Manhattan in New York City. Murray Hill is generally bordered to the east by the East River or Kips Bay, Manhattan, Kips Bay and to the west by Midtown Manhattan, though the ...

, a notable school that was run by Timothy Dwight and Theodore Woolsey Porter. He also studied under Rev. C. S. Williams. He entered

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in November 1853, but left in March 1854. He returned to Yale in September 1855 and graduated from there in 1858. In 1859, he bought the Sag Harbor weekly ''The Corrector'' and served as its editor and publisher together with A. A. Hunt via the firm Sleight & Hunt. In 1865, he also bought the ''Schoarie Republican'' and edited and published the paper together with Hunt. Sleight ended his connection with the ''Schoharie Republican'' in 1869. In 1860, he started a campaign daily in Sag Harbor, the first daily paper to be published in Sag Harbor. It opposed the Republican Party and endorsed John Bell and

Edward Everett Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Mas ...

in the

1860 United States presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 6, 1860. The Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin emerged victorious in a four-way race. With an electoral majority composed only of Northern states ...

. In that year, he unsuccessfully ran for 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 the Suffolk County 1st District, losing to James H. Tuthill. He ran 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 ...

with the endorsement of the American Party. He ran again for the

as a Democrat in 1869 and won, representing Suffolk County. He served in the Assembly in

1870 Events January * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge be ...

. He unsuccessfully ran for the Assembly again in 1880, losing to Republican

George M. Fletcher George Marion Fletcher (February 5, 1850 – October 22, 1915) was an American farmer, contractor, and politician from New York. Life Fletcher was born on February 5, 1850 in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended public school there. When Fletcher w ...

. Sleight was a charter member of the Board of Education when it was founded in 1869 and served on it for 35 years, acting as its president and secretary at different points. He served as trustee and president of the village. He was a magistrate of East Hampton for 12 years and unsuccessfully ran for

Supervisor A supervisor, or lead, (also known as foreman, boss, overseer, facilitator, monitor, area coordinator, line-manager or sometimes gaffer) is the job title of a lower-level management position and role that is primarily based on authority over la ...

. He served as a clerk in the

United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affair ...

from 1886 to 1888, when Representative

Perry Belmont Perry Belmont (December 28, 1851 – May 25, 1947) was an American politician and diplomat. He served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1881 to 1888. Early life and education Belmont was born on December 28, 1851, in New York C ...

was its chairman. He was also a clerk in the

United States House Committee on Patents A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

from 1894 to 1896, when Representative James W. Covert was its chairman. When Sleight was in Yale, he was a Wooden Spoon man and a member of

Linonia Linonia, founded in 1753, is the second-oldest society at Yale College and the oldest surviving literary and debating society, outlasting its short-lived predecessor, Crotonia. Today, Linonia operates as a secret senior society at Yale, contin ...

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest Fraternities and sororities, fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active Colony (fraternity or sorority), colonies across No ...

, and

Scroll and Key The Scroll and Key Society is a Collegiate secret societies in North America, secret society, founded in 1842 at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. It is one of the oldest Collegiate secret societies in North America#Yale University, Ya ...

. He joined the Gazelle Hose Company in 1853, and by the time he died he was the oldest exempt fireman of the Sag Harbor Fire Department. He became a Freemason in 1870, and in 1875 he became Master of his lodge. In 1865, he married Susan Jane Hedges. Their children were Cornelius Rysam, William Johnson Rysam, and Henry Dering. Sleight was in poor health for some time before his death and he sought relief at Southampton Hospital, but when the relief didn't come he returned home to spend his last days with his family. He died at home from

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...

on December 10, 1913. A private funeral was held at his home, with Rev. William T. Edds of the Sag Harbor Presbyterian Church officiating. He was buried in the family vault in Sag Harbor, with the services conducted by the Freemason lodge he was previously Master of.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Sleight, Brinley D. 1835 births 1913 deaths People from Sag Harbor, New York Yale College alumni 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Editors of New York (state) newspapers 19th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American newspaper editors Politicians from Suffolk County, New York 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly American Freemasons Deaths from nephritis