Robert Walters (born before 1685-died 1733) was the

mayor 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 ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

from 1720 to 1725.The Green Book - Mayors of the City of New York

Early life

Walters was likely born in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and emigrated to

British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 1 ...

, where he was a resident of

by 1685.

Career

Walters became a wealthy businessman and, in 1698, he was appointed to the Council by

Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont (sometimes spelled Bellamont, 1636 – 5 March 1700/01In the Julian calendar, then in use in England, the year began on 25 March. To avoid confusion with dates in the Gregorian calendar, then in us ...

Governor of the Province of New York The territory which would later become the state of New York was settled by European colonists as part of the New Netherland colony (parts of present-day New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware) under the command of the Dutch West India C ...

. When Judge

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 Peyster ...

recused himself due to

conflicts of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates to situations ...

due to his extensive holdings, Walters was chosen to substitute on the Supreme Court of Judicature. He also substituted for Judge

Stephen 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's ...

when Van Cortlandt was ill. Upon

William Atwood William Atwood (c. 1650 – 1712) was an English lawyer, known also as a political and historical writer. Early life William Atwood was son and heir of John Atwood of Broomfield, Essex. He studied at Queens' College, Cambridge, before being adm ...

's swearing in as Chief Judge on August 5, 1701, Walters was appointed Third Judge. As a member of the court, he was part of the group that tried and condemned to death Col.

Nicholas Bayard Nicholas Bayard (c. 1644–1707 or 1709) was a government official and slave trader in colonial New York. Bayard served as the mayor of New York City from 1685 to 1686. He is historically most notable for being Peter Stuyvesant's nephew and for ...

and John Hutchins for treason. The resulting uproar led to his suspension on June 9, 1702, from both the Court and the Governor's Council. In 1710, however, he was again appointed to the Governor's Council and in 1718, was commissioned as Second Judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature, remaining on the bench until his death in 1733. From 1720 to 1725, he served as the

. In 1720, while mayor, a tax of two percent was "raised on all goods coming from Europe."

Personal life

On February 4, 1685, he married Catherine Leisler (b. November 8, 1665), daughter of

Jacob Leisler Jacob Leisler ( – May 16, 1691) was a German-born colonist who served as a politician in the Province of New York. He gained wealth in New Amsterdam (later New York City) in the fur trade and tobacco business. In what became known as Leisler' ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Elizabeth Walter (born 1685), who married Johannes Wendell. * Maria Walter (1689–1764), who first married

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 ...

. After his death, she married Archibald Kennedy (1685–1763) and became the mother of Archibald Kennedy, who later became the 11th

Earl of Cassilis Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

. * Jacob Walter, who married Elizabeth Oliver. * Sara Walter, who married John Schuyler. Walters died in 1733.

References

17th-century births Year of birth missing 1733 deaths 17th-century American politicians 18th-century American politicians 18th-century American judges British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Mayors of New York City Politicians from Plymouth, Devon {{NewYork-mayor-stub