Abraham M. Schermerhorn

Abraham Maus Schermerhorn (December 11, 1791 – August 22, 1855) was the third mayor of Rochester, New York and a United States Representative from New York.

Abraham M. Schermerhorn
3rd Mayor of Rochester, New York
In office
December 1836 – 1837
Preceded byJacob Gould
Succeeded byThomas Kempshall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 28th district
In office
March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853
Preceded byElias B. Holmes
Succeeded byGeorge Hastings
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the Monroe County, 2nd district
In office
January 1, 1848 – December 31, 1848
Preceded bynew district
Succeeded byL. Ward Smith
Personal details
BornDecember 11, 1791
Schenectady, New York, US
DiedAugust 22, 1855(1855-08-22) (aged 63)
Savin Rock, Connecticut, US
Political partyWhig, Republican
SpouseMary Kent Adams
Alma materUnion College
ProfessionBanker
Politician

Early life

He was born in 1791 in Schenectady. He completed preparatory studies and graduated from Union College in 1810. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1812, and in 1813, he moved to Rochester.[1]

Political career

He became the "money king" of the Genesee region as the secretary of Rochester's first bank, before becoming a supervisor of the city in 1834.

In 1837, he became the third mayor of Rochester but resigned after two months to become secretary to the New York State Senate.[2] He became a member of the New York State Assembly (Monroe Co., 2nd D.) in 1848, and was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses, representing New York's 28th congressional district holding office from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1853.[3]

Personal life

Schermerhorn was married to Mary Kent Adams (1798–1865). Together, they were the parents of:

  • Susan M. Schermerhorn (d. 1846)
  • James Adams Schermerhorn (1816–1879), who married Sarah Maria Parker (1819–1874) in 1849.

In 1855, he died in Savin Rock, near West Haven, Connecticut. He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester.

References
  1. Abraham M. Schermerhorn at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
  2. "Rochester Mayors Before the Civil War – Rochester History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 30, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
  3. Chase, Salmon Portland; Niven, John (1993). The Salmon P. Chase Papers: Correspondence, 1823-1857. Kent State University Press. p. 276. ISBN 9780873385084. Retrieved January 14, 2018.


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