Johannes Cuyler (1661 – July 20, 1740) was a prominent American merchant of Dutch ancestry who served as the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, from 1725 to 1726.

Early life and family

Cuyler was born in 1661 in

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...

in the Province of New Netherland, which in 1664 became the

Province of New York The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to ...

. He was the eldest son of Hendrick Cuyler (1637–1690), and Annatje (

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 ...

Schepmoes) Cuyler (1642–1703). His father was a tailor who was born in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, came to America, and went to Albany in 1664 after the expansion of

British America British America collectively refers to various British colonization of the Americas, colonies of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and its predecessors states in the Americas prior to the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War in 1 ...

. His siblings included Abraham Cuyler (d. 1747), who married Caatje Bleecker (1670–1734), Maria Cuyler (d. 1724), who married New York Mayor John Cruger (1678–1744), Sarah Hendrickse Cuyler (1666–1742), who married Albany Mayor

Pieter Van Brugh Pieter Van Brugh (1666 – July 1740) was the Mayor of Albany, New York from 1699 to 1700 and from 1721 to 1723. Early life and family Pieter Van Brugh was a member of the Dutch aristocracy of Albany. Pieter Van Brugh was the oldest son of J ...

(1666–1740) (the son of Johannes Pieterse van Brugh), and Henry Cuyler (1677–1763), who married Maria Jacobs. His paternal grandparents, who stayed in the

, were Isebrant Cuyler and Evertien Jansz. His father was a supporter of

Jacob Leisler Jacob Leisler ( – May 16, 1691) was a German-born politician and colonial administrator in the Province of New York. He gained wealth in New Amsterdam (later New York City) in the North American fur trade and tobacco business. In what became k ...

and his mother was born in

, to Dutch immigrants. Through his sister Maria, he was the uncle of John Cruger Jr. (1710–1791), also Mayor of New York and Provincial Assembly Speaker. Through his sister Sarah, he was the uncle of Catharina Van Brugh (b. 1689) who married

Philip Livingston Philip Livingston (January 15, 1716 – June 12, 1778) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and slave trader from New York City. He represented New York at the October 1774 First Continental Congress, where he favored imposi ...

(1686–1749), second lord of

Livingston Manor Livingston Manor was a tract of land in the Province of New York granted to Robert Livingston the Elder during the reign of George I of Great Britain. Located between the Hudson River and the Massachusetts border, the Livingston Manor was locate ...

Career

Cuyler, a merchant in the fur trade, became an admitted freeman of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Before the establishment of Albany's government in 1686, Cuyler had already been a witness, plaintiff, and an attorney at the Albany court. In 1687, he was elected assistant Alderman for the Second Ward and, thus, he began his long association with Albany's government. He was an assistant Alderman until 1698 when he was elected Alderman and served in that role until 1710. While serving on the city council, his main areas of focus included improving relations with the Native Americans and ensuring the ongoing progress of real estate development within the city and its surrounding areas. In 1710, he was appointed as the Recorder (Deputy Mayor) of Albany. In 1705, he was elected to represent Albany in the

New York General Assembly The General Assembly of New York, commonly known internationally as the New York General Assembly, and domestically simply as General Assembly, was the Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme Legislature, legislative body of the Province of New York d ...

. Notwithstanding two brief breaks, he was elected to five terms, serving from 1705 to 1727. In 1725, he was appointed

Mayor of Albany In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

, succeeding Myndert Schuyler. He served for a year until 1726 when Rutger Bleecker replaced him. For a total of twenty-two years, he served as a

Commissioner of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

for the

, appointed in 1706, 1710, 1715, 1720, 1724, 1726, 1728, and 1732.

Personal life

On November 2, 1684, he was married to Elsje Ten Broeck (d. 1752). She was the daughter of Albany Mayor

Dirck Wesselse Ten Broeck Dirck Wesselse Ten Broeck (December 18, 1638 – November 24, 1717), also known as Dirck Wessels, was a prominent early settler of Albany, New York. He is known as "the progenitor of the Albany family of Ten Broecks." Early life Dirck Ten Broe ...

(1638–1717) and Christyna (

Van Buren) Ten Broeck (1644–1729). Together, Johannes and Elsje were the parents of twelve children, including: * Anna Cuyler (1685–1741), who married Anthony Van Schaick (1682–1759). * Christina Cuyler (1689–1755) * Hendrick Cuyler (1692–1724), who died unmarried. * Sara Cuyler (b. 1693), who married Mayor Johannes Hansen (1695–1756). * Elsie Cuyler (1695–1752), who married Hendrick Johannes Rosenboom (1689–1754). * Cornelis Cuyler (1697–1765), who married Catalyntie "Catharina" Schuyler (1704–1758). She was the daughter of

Johannes Schuyler Johannes Schuyler (October 15, 1668 – November 5, 1747) was a prominent American of Dutch ancestry who served as the 10th Mayor of Albany, New York from 1703 to 1706, and later was a member of the provincial assembly. He was the paternal gran ...

(1668–1747), of the prominent

Schuyler family The Schuyler family (Help:IPA/English, /ˈskaɪlər/; Dutch pronunciation: Help:IPA/Dutch, xœylər was a prominent Dutch family in New York and New Jersey in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose descendants played a critical role in the forma ...

, and Elizabeth Staats (1647–1737). She was also the sister of Johannes Schuyler, Jr., making her aunt to Gen.

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 20, 1733 - November 18, 1804) was an American general in the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War and a United States Senate, United States Senator from New York (state), New York. He is usually known as ...

, as well as the niece of

Pieter Pieter is a male given name, the Dutch language, Dutch form of Peter (name), Peter. The name has been one of the most common names in the Netherlands for centuries, but since the mid-twentieth century its popularity has dropped steadily, from a ...

and

Arent Schuyler Arent Philipse Schuyler (June 25, 1662 – November 26, 1730) was a member of the influential Schuyler family (among the first settlers to New Netherland). He was a surveyor, Native American trader, miner, merchant, and land speculator. Early l ...

. * Johannes Cuyler (1699–1746), who married Catherine Glen (b. 1699), daughter of Johannes Jacob Glen. * Maria Cuyler (1702–1788), who married Cornelius Cuyler Ten Broeck (1706–1772), son of Wessel Ten Broeck. * Elizabeth Cuylter (b. 1705), who married Jacob Sanders Glen (1703–1746) and were the parents of

Henry Glen Henry Glen (July 13, 1739 – January 6, 1814) was a merchant, military officer and politician who served as a Federalist in the United States House of Representatives during the years immediately following the adoption of the United States Con ...

. Cuyler died on July 20, 1740, in Albany.

Descendants

Through his son Cornelis, he was the grandfather of Elizabeth Cuyler (1731–1815), who married Jacobus Van Cortlandt (1726–1781), grandson of Jacobus Van Cortlandt, Philip Cuyler (b. 1733), who married Sarah Tweedy (1739–1825), Hendrick "Henry" Cuyler (1735–1803), who married Catharina Lydius (1743–1818), Elsje "Elsie" Cuyler (1737–1761), who married Augustus Van Cortlandt (1728–1823), another grandson of Jacobus Van Cortlandt, Margarita Cuyler (1738–1802), who married Isaac Low (1735–1791), a prominent merchant, Cornelius Cuyler (1740–1819), who married Anne Wendell in 1763, and became the first Baronet of St John's Lodge, and Abraham Cornelius Cuyler (1742–1810), who married Jannetje "Janet" Glen, who was sister to

(1739–1814), in 1764. Through his son Johannes, he was the grandfather of Jacob Cuyler (1741–1804), a prominent silversmith who participated in the Albany

Committee of Correspondence The committees of correspondence were a collection of American political organizations that sought to coordinate opposition to British Parliament and, later, support for American independence during the American Revolution. The brainchild of S ...

, served as a delegate from Albany to the

New York Provincial Congress The New York Provincial Congress (1775–1777) was a revolutionary provisional government formed by colonists in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-American alternative to the more conservative New York General Assembly, and as a repla ...

, and was a member of the

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It p ...

References

External links

Johannes Cuyler
at

New York State Museum The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, Albany, New York (state), New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and to ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuyler, Johannes 1660s births 1740 deaths American people of Dutch descent Merchants from colonial New York 18th-century American merchants Mayors of Albany, New York People from New Netherland 18th-century mayors of places in New York (state) Members of the New York General Assembly Cuyler family