Nicholas Thomas Kane (September 12, 1846 – September 14, 1887) was an American

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

veteran, businessman, and politician who served for six months as 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 ...

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 * ...

before dying during his first year in office in 1887.

Life and career

Nicholas T. Kane was born in

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

(then a part of the U.K.) on September 12, 1846. His family moved to the United States in 1848 and settled near

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 ...

, and Kane attended the local schools.

Civil War

He enlisted in the Union Army in 1863, joining the 20th New York Cavalry. He attained the rank of

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

twice, and each time was reduced to

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

. Kane served until the end of the war in 1865, and afterwards remained active in the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

Business career

After the war, Kane worked in woolen mills in New York and

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, as did several of his brothers and other relatives. He became wealthy as the owner and operator of several successful mills in New York.

Political career and death in office

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, Kane was Watervliet's

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the American state of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, towns, and villages. (The only boroughs, the f ...

and represented Watervliet on the Albany County Board of Supervisors from 1883 to 1885. He was president of the county board in 1885. In 1886 Kane was elected to the

50th United States Congress The 50th 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. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1887 ...

. He served from March 4, 1887, until his death from tuberculosis in Albany on September 14, 1887, before the Congressional session started. ( At the time, elections were held in November, terms began the following March 4, and the Congressional session began in the following December.) He was interred in

St. Agnes Cemetery St. Agnes Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery established in 1867. Located in Menands, New York, St. Agnes Cemetery is managed and cared for by Albany Diocesan Cemeteries. St. Agnes Cemetery was consecrated in 1867 and has features charac ...

Colonie, New York Colonie is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. It is the most-populous suburb of Albany, and is the third-largest town in area in Albany County, occupying approximately 11% of the county. Several hamlets exist within the town. ...

.Thomas E. Spencer
Where They're Buried
1998, page 243

References

External links