Peter Silvester (1734–1808)
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Peter Silvester (1734 – October 15, 1808) was an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. He is also the grandfather of New York Representative Peter Henry Silvester.
Born at Shelter Island, New York on Long Island, Silvester completed preparatory studies, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1763, and practiced in Albany, New York. In 1764 he married Jane (Jannetje) Van Schaack, whose father owned an estate in Kinderhook, New York.
Silvester backed the patriot cause during the American Revolution and held a variety of positions in New York including: member of the Albany Common Council in 1772, member of the Committee of Safety in 1774, and member of the First and Second Provincial Congresses in 1775 and 1776. The Van Schaacks were Loyalists, and some historians have suggested that Silvster's in-laws may have influenced him to take a reduced role as the Revolution went on.
He later moved to the Van Schaack estate and practiced law as the first attorney in Kinderhook. Among the students who began the study of law in his office were his son Francis (1767-1845) and Martin Van Buren.[1] He was appointed judge of the court of common pleas of Columbia County, New York in 1786, and served until 1789. He was a regent of the University of the State of New York from 1787 to 1808.
Silvester was elected to the First and Second United States Congresses as a Pro-Administration (Federalist) candidate (4 March 1789 – 4 March 1793).
After his time in Congress, Silvester served in the New York State Assembly in 1788 and as a member of the New York State Senate from 1796 to 1800.
Silvester served again in the Assembly from 1803 to 1806.
In retirement Silvester continued to reside in Kinderhook, where he died on October 15, 1808, aged 74 years.[2] He was interred in the Old Van Schaack Cemetery, over which the Kinderhook Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1814.[3] His grave is presumed to be within the Kinderhook Reformed Church's Cemetery, but its exact location is not known.[4]
References
- ↑ John L. Brooke, Columbia Rising: Civil Life on the Upper Hudson from the Revolution to the Age of Jackson, 2010, page 288
- ↑ Albany Gazette (Albany, New York). 1808-10-24. p. 3. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Edward Augustus Collier, A History of Old Kinderhook from Aboriginal Days to the Present Time, 1911, page 397
- ↑ Hendrick Hudson Chapter, National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, Revolutionary War Veterans Buried in Columbia County, New York, 1978, Volume 2, page 243
External links
- Peter Silvester at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Peter Silvester at Find a Grave
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| New district | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 5th congressional district 1789–1793 |
Succeeded by Theodorus Bailey |