Peter Sailly (April 20, 1754 – March 16, 1826) was a politician and public official from

Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The population of the sur ...

. He served one term as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

Biography

Sailly was born and educated in

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where he was involved in the iron manufacturing business. He immigrated to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1783, purchased land from Zephaniah Platt, and settled in what is now

. He was active in the lumber business, owned several stores, and was a successful

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

r and

potash Potash ( ) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.

manufacturer. As a result of their shared interest in the fur business, Sailly formed a longstanding friendship with

John Jacob Astor John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-born American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor. Astor made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by exporting History of opiu ...

. From 1788 to 1796 Sailly was an associate justice of the Court of Common Pleas. He was Plattsburgh's commissioner of highways and school commissioner in 1797 and 1798, and

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 ...

in 1799 and 1800. Sailly was a member of the

New York State 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 Ass ...

in 1803, and judge of the

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

court from 1804 to 1806. In 1804 Sailly was elected to the Ninth Congress 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 he served from March 4, 1805 to March 3, 1807. Sailly was not a candidate for renomination in 1806. He was appointed U.S. Collector of Customs in Plattsburgh, and served from 1807 until his death. 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 ...

Sailly was appointed keeper of the public stores, a position that gave him responsibility for all government warehouses in upstate New York. in addition, he provided U.S. commanders, including

James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American army officer and politician who was associated with multiple scandals and controversies during his life, including the Burr conspiracy. He served in the Continental Army du ...

, intelligence about the Champlain Valley and British troop activities in New York and southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Death and burial

He died in Plattsburgh on March 16, 1826. Sailly was buried at Plattsburgh's Riverside Cemetery.

Family

Sailly was married twice. His first wife, Maria Louise Eleonore Caillat, died in 1786. In 1789 he married Marianne Adelaide Grielle, who died in 1830.

Legacy

Sailly was the subject of a biographical work, 1919's ''Peter Sailly, Plattsburgh and Champlain Valley Pioneer (1754–1826): Extracts from his Diary and Letters'', by George S. Bixby. Sailly Avenue in Plattsburgh is named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sailly, Peter 1754 births 1826 deaths French emigrants to the United States People from the duchy of Lorraine Politicians from Plattsburgh, New York New York state court judges Members of the New York State Assembly Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives