Myndert Schuyler (January 16, 1672 – October 18, 1755) was a colonial trader and merchant with extensive real estate holdings who served as

Mayor of Albany, New York From its formal chartering on 22 July 1686 until 1779, the mayors of Albany, New York, were appointed by the royal governor of New York (state), New York, per the provisions of the original city charter, issued by Governor Thomas Dongan. From 1 ...

, twice between 1719 and 1725.

Early life

Schuyler was born on January 16, 1672, at the family homestead,

Schuyler Flatts Schuyler Flatts is an important prehistoric and historic settlement site overlooking the Hudson River in Colonie, New York. The site includes evidence of prehistoric Native American, early Dutch colonial settlement, and 18th and 19th-century Ame ...

(near present day

Menands, New York Menands is a village in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 4,554 at the 2020 census. The village is named after Louis Menand. The village lies inside the town of Colonie and borders the northern city line of Albany. ...

). He was one of eight children born to his parents, David Pieterse Schuyler (1636–1690), 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 ...

, and Catharina Verplanck (1639–1690), between 1659 and 1678. Both of his parents died during the

Schenectady massacre The Schenectady massacre was an attack against the colonial settlement of Schenectady in the English Province of New York on February 8, 1690. A raiding party of 114 French soldiers and militiamen, accompanied by 96 allied Mohawk and Algonqui ...

of 1690."An account of the burning of Schenectady by Mons. De Monsignat, comptroller General of the marine in Canada to Madam de Maintenon, the morganatic wife of Louis XIV.", ''Doc. Hist. N. Y., I,'' p. 186, noted in Pearson (1883), ''A History of the Schenectady Patent''
Schenectady History Digital Archives
''History of the Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times'', 1883, pp. 244-270 He was the younger brother of David Davidse Schuyler, also a mayor of Albany. His paternal grandparents were Pieter Tjercks Van Schuylder and Geertruyt Philips and his uncle was

Philip Pieterse Schuyler Colonel Philip Pieterse Schuyler or Philip Pieterse (1628 – 9 May 1683) was a Dutch-born landowner in New Netherlands and progenitor of the senior line of the American Schuyler family. Early life Philip Pieterse Schuyler was born in Amsterda ...

(1628–1683), the prominent colonist landowner. Through his uncle, he was first cousins with Gertruj Schuyler (b. 1654), who married

Stephanus van Cortlandt Stephanus van Cortlandt (May 7, 1643 – November 25, 1700) was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor ...

(1643–1700), the patroon of

Van Cortlandt Manor Van Cortlandt Manor is a 17th-century house and property built by the Van Cortlandt family located near the confluence of the Croton and Hudson Rivers in the village of Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester County, New York, United States. The coloni ...

and a

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

Alida Schuyler Alida Livingston ( Schuyler; 1656–1727) was a New Netherlands-born businesswoman in Dutch Colonial America who exerted a considerable influence in the life of the colony. She was married first to Nicholas van Rensselaer, son of Kiliaen van ...

(1656–1727), who married Nicholas van Rensselaer and after his death,

Robert Livingston the Elder Robert Livingston the Elder (13 December 1654 – 1728) was a Scottish-born merchant and government official in the Province of New York. He was granted a patent to 160,000 acres (650 km2/ 250 sq mi) of land along the Hudson River, becomin ...

Pieter Schuyler Pieter Schuyler (17 September 1657 – 19 February 1724) was the first mayor of Albany, New York. A long-serving member of the executive council of the Province of New York, he acted as governor of the Province of New York on three occasions ...

(1657–1724), the first mayor of Albany,

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 ...

(1662–1730), and

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 ...

Career

Schuyler was a prominent merchant and trader who turned his profits into extensive real estate holdings throughout the

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 * ...

region. He served the Albany government as a juror, constable, Alderman, and mayor. He also was elected five times 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 ...

, serving from 1701 to 1709, in 1713, from 1716 to 1726, and again in 1728. In addition, he was the Albany County surrogate for many years. In 1726, Schuyler was appointed and began serving as

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 ...

for two non-consecutive times. The first term began in 1719 and he was in office until 1720 when he was succeeded by

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 ...

, who served from 1720 to 1723. Schuyler succeeded him in 1723 and was in office until 1725 when he was replaced by

Johannes Cuyler Johannes Cuyler (1661 – July 20, 1740) was a prominent American merchant of Dutch ancestry who served as the Mayor of Albany, New York, from 1725 to 1726. Early life and family Cuyler was born in 1661 in New Amsterdam in the Province of New ...

. For thirty-five years, the longest of any Commissioner, he served as

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

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 ...

, appointed in 1706, 1710, 1712, 1715, 1728, 1729, 1732, 1734, 1739, 1742, 1745, 1752, and 1754.

Personal life

In December 1693, Schuyler married Rachel Cuyler (1674–1747), the daughter of Hendrick Cuyler and Anna Schepmoes, pioneers of

New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

, at the New York Reformed Church,

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 ...

. Together, they were the parents of one child: * Anna Schuyler (1697–1750), who married

Johannes de Peyster III Johannes de Peyster or Johannes de Peyster III (1694 – February 27, 1789) was the Mayor of Albany, New York three times between 1729 and 1742. Early life De Peyster was born in 1694. He was the son of Johannes De Peyster Jr. and Anna Bancker ...

(1694–1783). He was the son of Albany Mayor Johannes De Peyster Jr. and grandson of Johannes de Peyster, Sr., the 23rd

,Allaben, Frank
John Watts de Peyster, Volume 1
p. 18-19 (1908) nephew of Mayor

Abraham de Peyster Abraham de Peyster (July 8, 1657 – August 3, 1728) was the 20th mayor of New York City from 1691 to 1694, and served as Governor of New York, 1700–1701. Early life De Peyster was born in New Amsterdam on July 8, 1657, to Johannes de Peyste ...

, Maria De Peyster, who was married to Mayor

David Provost David Provost or David Provoost (January 16, 1670 – 1724) was the 24th mayor of New York City, serving his appointment to the position from 1699 to 1700. Early life David Provost was born at his family's Pearl Street home, near Fulton Str ...

, and Evert Bancker, the 3rd and 12th Mayor of Albany, New York. His nephews included

Gerard Bancker Gerard Bancker (sometimes Latin Gerardus, or colloquial Dutch Gerrit) (14 February 1740 in Albany, New York – January 1799) was an American surveyor and politician. Life Bancker was the son of Gerard Bancker Sr. and Maria de Peyster, who h ...

(1740–1799),

New York State Treasurer The New York State Treasurer was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York (state), New York between 1776 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities ...

from 1778 to 1798, and

Henry Rutgers Henry Rutgers (October 7, 1745 – February 17, 1830) was a United States Revolutionary War hero and philanthropist from New York City. Rutgers University was named after him, and he donated a bond which placed the college on sound financial f ...

(1745–1830), namesake of

Rutgers College Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...

. Schuyler died in October 18, 1755, and was buried beneath the Albany Dutch church.

Descendants

He was the grandfather of Anna de Peyster (1723–1794), who married Volkert Petrus Douw (1720–1801), a

New York State Senator 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 Mayor of Albany who was the grandson of

Hendrick van Rensselaer Hendrick van Rensselaer (October 23, 1667 – July 4, 1740) was director of the Eastern patent of the Rensselaerswyck manor. The estate was composed of land in Columbia County, New York, and land opposite Albany, New York, on the Hudson River ...

, Rachel de Peyster (1728–1794), who married Tobias Coenraedt Ten Eyck (1717–1785), and his namesake, Myndert Schuyler de Peyster (1736–1745), who died young. Through his granddaughter Anna, he was the great-grandfather of nine children, including John De Peyster Douw (1756–1835), who took part in the Clinton-Sullivan Expedition and also served as Surrogate of Albany County, replacing de Peyster in 1782. Through his granddaughter Rachel, he was also the great-grandfather of Johannes De Peyster Ten Eyck (d. 1798), Myndert Schuyler Ten Eyck (1753–1805), Henry Ten Eyck (b. 1755), and Tobias Ten Eyck (b. 1764).

References

External links

Myndert Schuyler
at the

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:Schuyler, Myndert 1672 births 1755 deaths American people of Dutch descent Schuyler family Mayors of Albany, New York 17th-century American politicians Members of the New York General Assembly Merchants from the Province of New York 18th-century American merchants 18th-century mayors of places in New York (state)