Jump to content

William P. Van Ness

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Safiel (talk | contribs) at 05:30, 28 June 2019 (Filled in 3 bare reference(s) with reFill ()). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

William P. Van Ness
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
In office
April 9, 1814 – September 6, 1826
Appointed byoperation of law
Preceded bySeat established by 3 Stat. 120
Succeeded bySamuel Rossiter Betts
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New York
In office
May 27, 1812 – April 9, 1814
Appointed byJames Madison
Preceded bySeat established by 2 Stat. 719
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Personal details
Born
William Peter Van Ness

(1778-02-13)February 13, 1778
Ghent, New York
DiedSeptember 6, 1826(1826-09-06) (aged 48)
New York City, New York
Resting placeGreen-Wood Cemetery
Brooklyn, New York
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
Spouse
Anne McEvers
​
(m. 1800⁠–⁠1826)​
RelativesJohn Peter Van Ness (brother)
Cornelius P. Van Ness (brother)
James Van Ness (nephew)
EducationColumbia University
read law

William Peter Van Ness (February 13, 1778 – September 6, 1826) was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New York and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, also notable for serving as Aaron Burr's second in Burr's duel with Alexander Hamilton.

Education and career

William Peter Van Ness, 1807 engraving by Charles Saint-Mémin

Born on February 13, 1778, in Claverack,[Note 1][1] New York,[2] Van Ness attended Washington Seminary (later Claverack College, now defunct),[3] graduated from Columbia College (now part of Columbia University) in 1797[4] and read law with Edward Livingston in 1800.[5][6][2] He entered private practice in New York City, New York from 1800 to 1801.[7][2] In 1801, Van Ness served as a delegate to the New York Constitutional Convention, which was called to amend the state constitution of 1777.[8] He continued private practice in Albany, New York starting in 1801 and in Hudson, New York, before resuming private practice in New York City until 1812.[7][2]

Martin Van Buren completed his legal studies in Van Ness's office in 1802 and became an attorney in Columbia County, New York.[9]

Relationship with Aaron Burr and participation in duel

Van Ness, a close friend of Aaron Burr, was an active participant in the 1800 presidential campaign as a vocal supporter of the Democratic-Republican Party candidates Burr for Vice President and Thomas Jefferson for President.[10] Burr and Jefferson tied in the electoral college, and the election moved to the United States House of Representatives, where Federalists wanted to defeat their great enemy, Jefferson, by electing Burr as President. Van Ness secretly supported the Federalist plan, but it failed, and Jefferson won the presidency, with Burr chosen for the vice presidency.[11]

In July 1804, Van Ness served as Aaron Burr's second in Burr's duel with Alexander Hamilton.[12] He and Hamilton's second, Nathaniel Pendleton loaded the pistols, and were present when Burr fatally shot Hamilton.[12]

Federal judicial service

Van Ness was nominated by President James Madison on May 25, 1812, to the United States District Court for the District of New York, to a new seat authorized by 2 Stat. 719.[2] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 26, 1812, and received his commission on May 27, 1812.[2] Van Ness was reassigned by operation of law to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on April 9, 1814, to a new seat authorized by 3 Stat. 120.[13][2] His service terminated on September 6, 1826, due to his death in New York City.[2] He was interred in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery.[14]

Investigation

In 1818, Congress appointed a special committee to look into the official conduct of Van Ness and his judicial colleague, Matthias B. Tallmadge, who apparently did not work well together.[citation needed] The committee investigated and recommended that no action be taken against Van Ness or Tallmadge.[citation needed]

Family and estate

Van Ness was born to Judge Peter Van Ness (1734–1804), a wealthy lawyer and farmer who owned the property in Kinderhook, New York, on which Van Ness constructed a mansion in 1797.[1] Martin Van Buren later purchased the home and land and renamed the estate Lindenwald. Peter Van Ness is buried on the Lindenwald estate.[15][16] Van Ness's brothers included United States Representative and Washington, D.C. Mayor John Peter Van Ness[17][18] and Governor of Vermont Cornelius P. Van Ness.[19][20] In 1800, Van Ness married Anne McEvers (1767–1829) in Red Hook. They were members of the Dutch Reformed Church, and the parents of five children.[21]

Author

Van Ness was the author of several political and judicial works, including: Examination of Charges against Aaron Burr (1803); The Laws of New York, with Notes, (with John Woodworth), (2 vols. 1813); Reports of Two Cases in the Prize Court for New York District (1814); and Concise Narrative of Gen. Jackson's First Invasion of Florida (1826).[22]

Van Ness' role in the Burr–Hamilton duel is referenced in the musical Hamilton as part of the song "The World Was Wide Enough".[23]

Note

  1. ^ Some sources give his birth location as Ghent, New York.

References

  1. ^ a b Brooke, John L. (2013). Columbia Rising: Civil Life on the Upper Hudson from the Revolution to the Age of Jackson. UNC Press Books. p. 477. ISBN 9780807838877. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Van Ness, William Peter - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
  3. ^ Gebhard, Elizabeth Louise (1910). "The Parsonage Between Two Manors: Annals of Clover-Reach". Bryan Printing Company. p. 45. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Officers and Graduates ..." Columbia University. 1916. p. 88. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Raymond, William (1851). "Biographical Sketches of the Distinguished Men of Columbia County: Including an Account of the Most Important Offices They Have Filled, in the State and General Governments, and in the Army and Navy". Weed, Parsons and Company. p. 33. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Miller, Peyton Farrell (1904). "A Group of Great Lawyers of Columbia County, New York". Priv. print. pp. 133–135. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b Hough, Franklin Benjamin (September 1, 1974). "American biographical notes, being short notices of deceased persons: chiefly those not included in Allen's or in Drake's biographical dictionaries, gathered from many sources". Harbor Hill Books. p. 404. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Littleton, Martin Wilie (1905). "The Democratic Party of the State of New York: A History of the Origin, Growth, and Achievements of the Democratic Party of the State of New York, Including a History of Tammany Hall in Its Relation to State Politics (Volume 1)". United States History Company. p. 47. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Hodge, Carl Cavanagh; Nolan, Cathal J. (2007). "U.S. Presidents and Foreign Policy: From 1789 to the Present". ABC-CLIO. p. 73. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Adams, Henry (1986). "History of the United States of America During the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson". Library of America. p. 417. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Thomas N. Baker, "'An Attack Well Directed': Aaron Burr Intrigues for the Presidency." Journal of the Early Republic 31#4 (2011): 553–598.
  12. ^ a b Freeman, Joanne B. (2002). "Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic". Yale University Press. p. 180. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Burak, H. Paul (1962). "History of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York" (PDF). pp. 3–4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-23. Retrieved 2011-03-05. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Hall, Clayton Colman (1912). "Baltimore: Biography (Volume III)". Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 533. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ New York, a Guide to the Empire State, sponsored by New York State Historical Association, published by Oxford University Press, New York, 1940, pp. 564–565
  16. ^ "New York: A Guide to the Empire State". US History Publishers. 28 June 1972 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ The Life and Times of Martin Van Buren: The Correspondence of his Friends, Family and Pupils, by William Lyon Mackenzie, 1846, p. 23
  18. ^ Mackenzie, William Lyon (28 June 2019). "The Life and Times of Martin Van Buren: The Correspondence of His Friends, Family and Pupils; Together with Brief Notices, Sketches, and Anecdotes, Illustrative of the Public Career of James Knox Polk, Benjamin F. Butler ... &c". Cooke & Company – via Google Books.
  19. ^ Early History of Vermont, LaFayette Wilbur, Volume 4, 1903, p. 124
  20. ^ Wilbur, La Fayette (28 June 2019). "Early History of Vermont". Roscoe Printing House – via Google Books.
  21. ^ Hall, Clayton Colman (1912). Baltimore: Biography. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 533–534. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  22. ^ Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States, edited by John Howard Brown, Volume 7, 1903, p. 430
  23. ^ "The World Was Wide Enough Lyrics - Hamilton". AllMusicals.com. Retrieved November 11, 2017.

Sources

Legal offices
Preceded by
Seat established by 2 Stat. 719
 Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New York
1812–1814 		Succeeded by
Seat abolished
Preceded by
Seat established by 3 Stat. 120
 Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
1814–1826 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=William_P._Van_Ness&oldid=903820786"