Gideon Lee

Gideon Lee (April 27, 1778 – August 21, 1841) was an American politician who was the 60th Mayor of New York City from 1833 to 1834, and United States Representative from New York for one term from 1835 to 1837.

Gideon Lee
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 3rd district
In office
December 7, 1835 – March 3, 1837
Preceded byCampbell P. White
Succeeded byEdward Curtis
60th Mayor of New York City[1]
In office
1833–1834
Preceded byWalter Bowne
Succeeded byCornelius Van Wyck Lawrence
Personal details
BornApril 27, 1778
Amherst, Massachusetts
DiedAugust 21, 1841(1841-08-21) (aged 63)
Geneva, New York
NationalityAmerican
Political partyJacksonian
Spouse
Isabella Williamson
​
(m. 1823)​

Early life

Lee was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, on April 27, 1778, and attended the common schools there. He was a son of Gideon Lee (1747–1811) and Lucy (née Ward) Lee (1746–1817).[2]

The first known member of the Lee family was John "Leigh" of an ancient and honorable family of Burton street, London, England. He was born about the year 1600, came to New England, and settled at Agawam (now Ipswich), Essex County, Massachusetts, in 1635. In 1677 his sons agreed to change the spelling of the family name from "Leigh" to "Lee." Gideon belonged to the sixth generation of this family.[2]

Career

He became a shoemaker in Worthington, Massachusetts. He moved first to New York City and then to Georgia, where he was in the mercantile business,[3] of the old firm of "Gideon Lee, Shepard Knapp and Charles M. Leupp."[2] He returned to New York in 1807 and engaged in the leather business.[4]

He served as member of the New York State Assembly in 1823,[5] and as alderman from 1828 to 1830. He was Mayor of New York from 1833 to 1834, but declined to be a candidate for reelection.[4]

Lee was elected as a Jacksonian to the 24th United States Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Campbell P. White and served from November 4, 1835, to March 3, 1837. He then retired and moved to Seneca Lake in Geneva, New York.[4]

He was a presidential elector on the Whig ticket in 1840, voting for William Henry Harrison and John Tyler.[4]

Personal life

On April 28, 1823, Lee was married to Isabella Williamson (1800–1870), who was the daughter of the Rev. David Williamson, a minister of the Church of Scotland.[2] Together, they were the parents of:[2]

Lee died on August 21, 1841, in Geneva, New York.[9] He was buried at the Washington Street Cemetery in Geneva, New York.[4]

References
  1. Greenbook Archived May 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Dutchess and Putnam, New York: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and of Many of the Early Settled Families. J.H. Beers. 1897. pp. 1064–1065. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  3. "Obituary. | Col. JAMES MEINELL". The New York Times. July 4, 1865. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  4. "LEE, Gideon 1778 – 1841". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  5. "POLITICAL REMINISCENSES. Two Chapters from the Recollections of a Political Journalist. How New-York was Represented at Albany Fifty Years Ago" (PDF). The New York Times. May 15, 1866. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  6. "Gideon Lee". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. April 23, 1894. p. 1. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  7. "CLEMSON WILL CASE. INVOLVING THE TITLE TO THE JOHN C. CALHOUN HOMESTEAD. Which is Now Declared the Property of the State of South Carolina, and will be the Site of an Agricultural College". The Atlanta Constitution. April 9, 1890. p. 5. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  8. South Carolina Historical Magazine. South Carolina Historical Society. 1997. p. 431. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  9. "DEATH OF HON. GIDEON LEE". The Times-Picayune. September 4, 1841. p. 2. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
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