Samuel Riker

Samuel Riker (April 8, 1743 – May 19, 1823) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for New York's 1st congressional district from 1804 to 1805 and again from 1807 to 1809.

Samuel Riker
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1807 – March 3, 1809
Preceded byEliphalet Wickes
Succeeded byEbenezer Sage
In office
November 5, 1804 – March 3, 1805
Preceded byJohn Smith
Succeeded byEliphalet Wickes
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office
1784–Unknown
Personal details
Born
Samuel Riker

(1743-04-08)April 8, 1743
Newtown, Province of New York, British America
DiedMay 19, 1823 (aged 80)
Newtown, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
SpouseAnna Lawrence

Early life

He was born on April 8, 1743, in Newtown on Long Island in what was then the Province of New York into a family of Dutch origin. He was a son of Andrew Riker (1699–1762) and Jane (née Berrien) Riker (1703–1775).

His great-grandfather Abraham Ryker (1619–1689) was born in the Netherlands and settled in New Netherland.

Career

After Riker attended the common schools, he was a member of the Newtown committee of correspondence in 1774, and was supervisor of Suffolk County in 1783. He was the lieutenant of Light Horse during the American Revolution.[1]

Samuel Riker was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1784. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Smith. He served from November 5, 1804, to March 3, 1805. He was also elected to the Tenth Congress, which met from March 4, 1807, to March 3, 1809.

Personal life

Riker was married to Anna Lawrence (1749–1833). Anna was a daughter of Joseph Lawrence and a niece of merchant and New York State Senator Jonathan Lawrence. Among her cousins were Samuel, John, and William T. Lawrence.[2] Together, they were the parents of:[3]

  • Joseph Lawrence Riker (1770–1796), a sailor who died in Jamaica.[3]
  • Andrew Riker (1771–1817)[3]
  • Richard Riker (1773–1842), the Recorder of New York City who married Jennet Phoenix, a daughter of Treasurer Daniel Phoenix (1737–1812).
  • Abraham Riker (1776–1821), who married Harriet Pierson.[4]
  • Patience Riker (1778–1851), who married John Lawrence (1758–1817) in 1802.[5]
  • Samuel Riker (1780–1811), a lawyer.[3]
  • Jane Margaret Riker (1782–1868), who married merchant John Thom.[6] After his death, she married Irish-American physician William James MacNeven.[7]
  • Anna Elvira Riker (1785–1860), who married Douwe Ditmars.[3]
  • John Lawrence Riker (1787–1861), who married Maria Smith.[3]

He died in Newtown in Long Island on May 19, 1823. He was interred in the Dutch Reformed Cemetery.

Descendants

Through his daughter Patience, he was a grandfather of Patience Riker Lawrence (wife of Timothy Gridley Churchill) and a great-grandfather of Jane Lawrence Churchill, who married Henry Y. Satterlee,[5] the Episcopal Bishop of Washington,[8][9]

References
  1. Society, Sons of the Revolution New York (1892). The Constitution of the Society of the Sons of the Revolution: And By-laws and Register of the New York Society. Exchange Printing Company. p. 223. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  2. Lawrence, Thomas (1858). Historical Genealogy of the Lawrence Family: From Their First Landing in this Country, 1635 to the Present Date, July 4th, 1858. E.O. Jenkins. pp. 102–110. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  3. Austin, Hugh S. (1970). The Riker-Lent Family: A Genealogy. Fla. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  4. Riker, James (1851). A Brief History of the Riker Family: From Their First Emigration to this Country in the Year 1638, to the Present Time. D. Fanshaw, printer. p. 19. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  5. Quinn, Frederick (2014). A House of Prayer for All People: A History of Washington National Cathedral. Church Publishing, Inc. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-8192-2924-3. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  6. Dunlop 1893.
  7.  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Dunlop, Robert (1893). "MacNeven, William James". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 35. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  8. Dr. Satterlee is Chosen" New York Times. December 7, 1895.
  9. Dr. Satterlee consecrated as Bishop of Washington" New York Times. March 22, 1896.
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