James Whitney Wilkin (March19, 1762February23, 1845) was an American lawyer and politician 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 * ...

Life

Wilkin was born in Wallkill, New York (then in Orange County, but now in Ulster County). He served in the Revolutionary War. He graduated from Princeton College in 1785. Then he studied law, and 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 1788, and began practice in

Goshen, New York Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 14,571 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Report Goshen, Orange County, New York QuickFacts https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/goshentownorangecountyne ...

. He was a 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 ...

in 1796, 1808 and 1808–09, and served as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

during the latter term. He entered the State militia and rose through successive grades to the rank of major general. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

from 1801 to 1804 and from 1811 to 1814. He was a member of the

Council of Appointment The Council of Appointment (sometimes also Council of Appointments) was a body of the Government of New York that existed from 1777 to 1822. History Under the New York Constitution of 1777, the Council of Appointment consisted of the Governor of ...

in 1802, 1811, and 1813. He was an unsuccessful candidate for

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 ...

1813 Events January–March * January 5 – The Danish state bankruptcy of 1813 occurs. * January 18– 23 – War of 1812: The Battle of Frenchtown is fought in modern-day Monroe, Michigan between the United States and a Britis ...

. Wilkin was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

to the

14th United States Congress The 14th 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 the Old Brick Capitol in Washing ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Jonathan Fisk Jonathan Fisk (September 26, 1778 – July 13, 1832) was an American lawyer and politician who served as United States House of Representatives, United States Representative for the third District of New York (state), New York. Early life Fisk w ...

. He took his seat on December 4, 1815. He was re-elected to the

15th United States Congress The 15th 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 the Old Brick Capitol in Washingto ...

, and served until March 3, 1819. That year, his grandson,

Alexander Wilkin Alexander Wilkin (December 1, 1819 – July 14, 1864) was a soldier during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Wilkin also played a role in the development of the Minnesota Territory, having been its second territorial secreta ...

, was born. He was County Clerk of Orange County from 1819 to 1821, and County Treasurer for several years. Wilkin died in Goshen, Orange County, New York. He was buried at Slate Hill Cemetery.

Sources

*James Whitney Wilkin in
Princetonians, 1784-1790: A Biographical Dictionary
', by Ruth L. Woodward, Wesley Frank Craven {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkin, James Whitney 1762 births 1845 deaths Princeton University alumni Speakers of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators People from Wallkill, Orange County, New York American militia generals Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 18th-century members of the New York State Legislature