Moses I. Cantine (January 18, 1774 - January 24, 1823) was an American politician, judge and newspaper editor 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 * ...

. 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 ...

, he was most notable for his service as 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 ...

and First Judge of the Greene County Court.

Biography

Cantine was born in

Marbletown Marbletown is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,658 at the 2020 census. It is located near the center of Ulster County, southwest of the City of Kingston. US 209 and NY 213 pass through the town. It is at the ...

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, ...

on January 18, 1774, a son of Johannes and Maria (Brodhead) Cantine. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1796, 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

Greene County, New York Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,931. Its county seat is Catskill. The county's name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. The c ...

. A member of the

Democratic-Republican Party 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 li ...

, Cantine served as district attorney of the Third District ( Columbia,

Greene Greene may refer to: Places United States *Greene, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Greene, Iowa, a city * Greene, Maine, a town ** Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene * Greene (town), New York **Greene (village), New York, in the to ...

and Rensselaer counties) from 1805 to 1806, 1808 to 1810, and 1811 to 1818. He served in the

from 1814 to 1818. He served as First Judge of the Greene County Court from 1818 to 1820. A longtime member of the

New York Militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the State Defense Force (SDF) of New York State, and is one of the four branches of the New York Military Forces (NYMF), the other three branches being the New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard a ...

, Cantine served as inspector of the 4th Brigade with the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, he served on the northern frontier, the border area between

and

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. In 1818, he was appointed the militia's judge advocate general with the rank of lieutenant colonel. On August 25, 1820, Cantine and Isaac Q. Leake took over the ''Albany Argus'' from Jesse Buel. In addition to publishing the newspaper, Cantine and Leake received appointment as the official state printers. He died in

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 ...

on January 24, 1823. Contemporary news accounts indicate that Cantine died after drinking Crème de Noyaux. This

liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-age ...

contains trace amounts of

hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen cyanide (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boiling, boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is ...

, and bottles left to age will sometimes have the poison concentrate near the top, posing a risk to the person who takes the first drink after the bottle is opened.

Family

Cantine was married to Christina Hoes (1780-1823), the sister of

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...

's wife Hannah. They were the parents of two children, Moses Jr. and Christina.

Sources

External links

Moses I. Cantine
at Political Graveyard 1774 births 1823 deaths People from Marbletown, New York Princeton University alumni American militia officers American militiamen in the War of 1812 Martin Van Buren New York (state) Democratic-Republicans New York (state) lawyers New York (state) state senators New York state court judges 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature {{NewYork-NYSenate-stub