Elbert Floyd-Jones (February 7, 1817 – February 17, 1901) was an American politician.

Early life

A descendant of an old

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

family, he was born at the family mansion on the Fort Neck estate in South Oyster Bay, New York (then

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, now Nassau County). He was the youngest son of Brig.-Gen. Thomas Floyd-Jones (1788–1851) and Cornelia Haring ( Jones) Floyd-Jones (1796–1839). Among his siblings were Lt.-Gov. of New York David R. Floyd-Jones, merchant William Floyd-Jones, and Sarah Maria Floyd-Jones (wife of Coleman Williams). His paternal grandparents were David Richard Floyd-Jones and Sarah ( Onderdonk) Floyd-Jones and his maternal grandfather was Maj. William Jones. Among his extended family was his uncle, New York State Senator Henry Floyd-Jones, and first cousin, Col. DeLancey Floyd-Jones. He was a descendant of

William Floyd William Floyd (December 17, 1734 – August 4, 1821) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, wealthy farmer, and political leader from New York (state), New York. Floyd served as a delegate to the Continental Cong ...

, signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

, and Maj. Thomas Jones who owned what is known today as Jones Beach. Floyd-Jones devoted his early years to "agricultural pursuits and the raising of fine trotting horses."

Career

In 1845, Floyd-Jones served as a Democratic 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 ...

, representing all of Queens County, which extended from the

East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...

to Suffolk County, during the 68th New York State Legislature. During the U.S. Civil War, Floyd-Jones was an ardent supporter of the Union, and was a "candidate for the Vice Presidency of the United States." He was again a member of the Assembly in the years 1877 and 1878 in the 100th and

101st New York State Legislature The 101st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to May 15, 1878, during the second year of Lucius Robinson's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the pro ...

s. By this time, Queen County was split into two districts and he represented District 1. Following the death of Benjamin D. Silliman on January 24, 1901, Floyd-Jones became the oldest living former-member of the Assembly.

Personal life

During his lifetime, Floyd-Jones was married four times. His first was marriage was on June 5, 1838 to Emily Glentworth (1815–1845), daughter of Dr. Plunket Fleeson Glentworth and Harriet Straker ( Budden) Glentworth. Together, they were the parents of: * Cornelia Floyd-Jones (1839–1890), who married Richard Van Wyck Thorne. * Thomas Floyd-Jones (1841–1919), who married Julia Haines. * George Floyd-Jones (1842–1927), who married Antoinette Wood, a daughter of Royal and Charlotte ( Kortright) Wood, in 1986. * Emily Glentworth Floyd-Jones (1845–1923), who married Howard Malcolm Giles in 1869. His second marriage was on January 25, 1848 to Mary Caroline Wigham (1828–1867), a daughter of Isaac Wigham and Mary ( Seaman) Wigham of New York City. Together, they were the parents of: * William Floyd-Jones (1851–1857), who died young. * Mary Wigham Floyd-Jones (1853–1855), who died young. * Elizabeth Underhill Floyd-Jones (b. 1858) * Edward Pearsall Floyd-Jones (b. 1860) * Arthur Floyd-Jones * Elbert Floyd-Jones (b. 1867). He married thirdly on October 21, 1869 to Martha A. Thorne (1836–1870), daughter of Mr. Thorne and Sarah ( Townsend) Thorne. Together, they were the parents of: * Sarah Thorne Floyd-Jones (1870–1870), who died young. On January 17, 1872, he married for the fourth time to Elizabeth Morrison Smith (1838–1916), daughter of Jeremiah and Emily Smith of New York. He had an estate on his family's property in

Massapequa, New York Massapequa (, ) is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Oyster Bay (town), New York, Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island, in Ne ...

(also known as South Oyster Bay), and for many years, spent his winters at the Park Avenue Hotel in New York City. He was responsible for construction of Old Grace Church in 1844. Floyd-Jones died at the Park Avenue Hotel in New York City on February 17, 1901. He was buried in the Floyd-Jones family cemetery in Massapequa. After his death, his estate on South Country road was sold to Senator James H. McCabe. The house was destroyed by fire in 1926 as a result of the a Fourth of July fireworks celebration.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Floyd-Jones, Elbert 1817 births 1901 deaths Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature