Thomas Beekman (July 4, 1790 – February 2, 1870) was an American politician and 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 * ...

Biography

Beekman was born in

Kinderhook, New York Kinderhook is a town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 8,330 at the 2020 census,U.S. Census, 2020, 'Kinderhook town, Columbia County, New York' making it the most populous municipality in Columb ...

to John J. Beekman and Annatje Pruyn. His elder brother was Dr. John Pruyn Beekman (1788–1861), 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 ...

from 1845 to 1847. Beekman studied law and became an attorney and farmer in Smithfield and later Peterboro.

Career

Beekman served in local offices including as a town clerk, and was active in the

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

as aide-de-camp to the commander of its 17th Division. Beekman was also active in the Anti-Masonic movement of the 1820s and 1830s. Elected as an

Anti-Jacksonian The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States which evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John ...

to the

Twenty-first Congress The 21st 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, 1829 ...

, Beekman was U. S. Representative for the twenty-second district of New York and served one term, from March 4, 1829, to March 3, 1831. In 1831 he was an unsuccessful Anti-Masonic candidate for the

. Beekman later moved back to Kinderhook, where he farmed, practiced law, was active in several businesses, including the Kinderhook National Bank, and served as Columbia County

Excise file:Lincoln Beer Stamp 1871.JPG, upright=1.2, 1871 U.S. Revenue stamp for 1/6 barrel of beer. Brewers would receive the stamp sheets, cut them into individual stamps, cancel them, and paste them over the Bunghole, bung of the beer barrel so when ...

Commissioner from 1857 to 1859. After his retirement in the 1860s he spent summers in Kinderhook and winters living with his daughter in

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 ...

. He was married to Lydia Van Schaack.

Death

Beekman died in Kinderhook on February 2, 1870 (age 79 years, 213 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

at Kinderhook Reformed Church Cemetery.Thomas Beekman
a

accessed January 15, 2013

References

External links

Govtrack US Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beekman, Thomas 1790 births 1870 deaths People from Kinderhook, New York American politicians of Dutch descent National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Anti-Masonic Party politicians from New York (state) People from Smithfield, New York People from Peterboro, New York New York (state) lawyers 19th-century American lawyers Beekman family Pruyn family 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives