Jeremiah Halsey Pierson (September 13, 1766 – December 12, 1855) was an American politician from

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

Life

Pierson was born on September 13, 1766, in Newark,

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after ...

in what was then

British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 1 ...

. In 1772, Pierson and his parents moved to

Richmond, Massachusetts Richmond is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,407 at the 2020 census. History Present day Richmond was first settled by Micah ...

. He attended the public schools in Richmond and

Stockbridge, Massachusetts Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, Stockbridge is ...

, and completed preparatory studies. He was fifth in descent from

Abraham Pierson Abraham Pierson (1646 – March 5, 1707) was an American Congregational minister who served as the first rector, from 1701 to 1707, and one of the founders of the Collegiate School — which later became Yale University. Biography He was ...

, the first president of

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

beginning in 1701. The first American Pierson, Abraham Pierson the Elder, came to Boston in 1639 from

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and helped found

Southampton, New York Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the str ...

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2 ...

, and

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

Career

He studied law, 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 ...

, and practiced in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. In 1795, Pierson moved to Ramapo. He practiced law and engaged in mercantile pursuits and manufacturing. He was a Justice of the Peace from 1800 to 1811. He was an associate justice of the Rockland County Court in 1808. Pierson was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to the

17th United States Congress The 17th 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. While its term was officially March 4, 1821, t ...

, holding office from December 3, 1821, to March 3, 1823. Afterwards he resumed his former business pursuits. He was largely instrumental in securing the construction of the

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake ...

. He was a delegate to the

National Republican The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

Convention at

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1831.

Personal life

Pierson was married to Sarah (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Colt) (1772–1820), the daughter of Jabez Colt and Sarah Elizabeth (née Mix) Colt. Together, they were the parents of: * Elizabeth Pierson (1794–1833), who married author and educator

Eleazar Lord Eleazar Lord (September 9, 1788 – June 3, 1871) was an American author, educator, deacon of the First Protestant Dutch Church and first president of the Erie Railroad. Lord was engaged in banking; founded the Manhattan insurance company, and se ...

(1788–1871). * Josiah Gilbert Pierson (1797–1845) * Jeremiah Halsey Pierson (1800–1851) * Theodore Pierson (1803–1816) * Henry Pierson (1807–1807), who died young. * Henry Lewis Pierson (1807–1893) * Benjamin Franklin Pierson (1811–1836) Pierson died on December 12, 1855, in Ramapo,

. He was buried at the Ramapo Cemetery.

Descendants

Through his son Henry Lewis Pierson, he was the grandfather of

John Frederick Pierson John Frederick Pierson (February 25, 1839 – December 20, 1932) was an American soldier, business executive, and society leader who was prominent in New York during the Gilded Age. Early life Pierson was born on February 25, 1839, in New York C ...

(1839–1932), a brevet Brigadier General during the

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states tha ...

and society leader in New York and Newport during the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and We ...

, and Helen Maria Pierson, who married William Gaston Hamilton (son of

John Church Hamilton John Church Hamilton (August 22, 1792 − July 25, 1882) was a historian, biographer, and lawyer. He was a son of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Early life Hamilton was born on August 22, 1792, in Philad ...

and grandson of first U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton), and was, herself, the grandmother of Helen Morgan Hamilton,

Pierpont Morgan Hamilton Pierpont Morgan Hamilton (August 3, 1898 – March 4, 1982) was a general officer in the United States Air Force, and the scion of two illustrious families in American history, the Hamilton family, which traces its lineage to founding father ...

, and

Alexander Morgan Hamilton Alexander Morgan Hamilton (January 25, 1903 – May 29, 1970) was an American philanthropist and civil servant. He was the grandson of J. P. Morgan the financier, and great-great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasur ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierson, Jeremiah Halsey 1766 births 1855 deaths New York (state) state court judges People from Ramapo, New York People from Stockbridge, Massachusetts New York (state) National Republicans 19th-century American legislators Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Richmond, Massachusetts