Johannes Bruyn (February 21, 1750 – February 10, 1814) was an American politician from

Ulster County, New York Ulster County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston, ...

Early life

Bruyn was born on February 21, 1750, in

Shawangunk, New York Shawangunk is a town in southwestern Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 13,563 at the 2020 census. The town takes its name from its largest stream, the Shawangunk Kill. The name Shawangunk is from the language of the Le ...

. He was a son of Jacobus Bruyn and Jane (

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 ...

Graham) Pruyn (d. 1764). Among his siblings was elder sister Gertruyd Bruyn (the wife of Cornelius DuBois), twin brothers Severyn Tenhout Bruyn (also a New York Assemblymen) and Jacobus S. Bruyn (also a New York Assemblymen and member of New York State Senate; married Margaret DeWitt, a daughter of Andries J. DeWitt and Blandina Elmendorf Ten Eyck; father of Andrew DeWitt Bruyn), sister Mary Bruyn (wife of Nicholas Hardenberg), and brother

Cornelius Bruyn Cornelius may refer to: People * Cornelius (name), Roman family name and a masculine given name * Cornelius the Centurion, Roman centurion considered by Christians to be the first Gentile to convert to the Christian faith * Pope Cornelius, pope fr ...

(also a New York Assemblymen).

Career

For a long time he was a judge of Ulster County and "enjoyed the esteem and confidence of the community; was a man of sound judgment, sterling integrity, and unwavering in his principles." In April 1781, Bruyn was elected as a

New York 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 Assem ...

men representing from Ulster County in the 5th and 6th New York State Legislatures and serving from July 1, 1781, until June 30, 1783. After two years, he was succeeded by John Cantine. He was a

presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

for New York in

1792 Events January–March * January 9 – The Treaty of Jassy ends the Russian Empire's war with the Ottoman Empire over Crimea. * January 25 – The London Corresponding Society is founded. * February 18 – Thomas Holcrof ...

. In April 1796, he was again elected to the Assembly, this time 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 ...

, and served in the 20th New York State Legislature from July 1, 1796, to June 30, 1797, when he was replaced by his brother Jacobus. Two years later, Johannes replaced Jacobus in the Assembly. Johannes served in the

23rd New York State Legislature The 23rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 28 to April 8, 1800, during the fifth year of John Jay's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisions o ...

from July 1, 1799, to June 30, 1800. In April 1809, he was elected as a Democratic-Republican to a four-year term in 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 ...

for the

33rd New York State Legislature The 33rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 30 to April 6, 1810, during the third year of Daniel D. Tompkins's Governor of New York, governorship, in Albany, New ...

, and by virtue of that office a member of the Court of Errors. His seat was one of the 7 representing the Middle District which then consisted of Dutchess,

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

, Columbia,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, Rockland, Greene and Sullivan counties. Bruyn served in the 34th,

35th Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...

, 36th New York State Legislatures until June 30, 1813. In 1812, he was chosen as 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 ...

Personal life

On April 10, 1783, Bruyn was married to Margaret DeWitt (1758–1827), a daughter of Blandina (née DuBois) DeWitt and Col.

Charles DeWitt Charles DeWitt (April 27, 1727 – August 27, 1787) was an American statesman and miller from the U.S. state of New York. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. Early life DeWitt was born in Kingston, New York, the eldest so ...

, who served as a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

. Margaret's brother Gerrit was the father of Charles G. DeWitt, 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 ...

who was appointed the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to Guatemala by

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

. Her sister Maria "Polly" DeWitt, was the wife of Jacobus "James" Hasbrouck, a prominent

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

merchant. In addition, Margaret was a niece of Andries DeWitt and a first cousin of Jenneke DeWitt (the wife of Johannes' brother Jacobus). Together, they were the parents of: * Charles DeWitt Bruyn (1784–1849), a New York Assemblyman who married his cousin, Maria Hasbrouck (1793–1851), a daughter of James Hasbrouck and Polly (née DeWitt) Hasbrouck. * Cornelius Bruyn (1789–1873), the president of the Ulster County Bank who married Sarah Amelia Bevier, one of seven daughters of Capt. Philip DuBois Bevier and Ann (née DeWitt) Bevier. After her death in 1861 from stomach cancer, he married Catherine Van Vleck, a daughter of James Van Vleck of Shawangunk. Bruyn died in Shawangunk, New York, on February 10, 1814.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruyn, Jacobus S. 1750 births 1814 deaths Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators 1792 United States presidential electors De Witt family Bruyn family 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 18th-century members of the New York State Legislature