Samuel Verplanck
Samuel Verplanck | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date New York City, Province of New York |
| Died | January 27, 1820 (aged 80) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, banker, politician |
| Known for | Founding member of the New York Chamber of Commerce; delegate to the New York Provincial Congress; Governor of King's College |
Samuel Verplanck (September 19, 1739 – January 27, 1820) was a prominent American businessman and political figure.
Early life
Born in New York City within the Province of New York, which was then under British rule, Verplanck entered the world on September 19, 1739. He was the offspring of Gulian Verplanck (1698–1751), a fourth-generation New Yorker who possessed considerable wealth and real estate, and Mary (née Crommelin) Verplanck. His younger sibling, Gulian Verplanck, distinguished himself as a wholesale importer, financier, and served twice as Speaker of the New York State Assembly.
On his mother's side, his grandfather Charles Crommelin was an affluent merchant engaged in commerce between New York and the Netherlands. Through his brother Gulian’s marriage to Cornelia Johnston, Samuel became uncle to David Johnston Verplanck, editor of the New York American. Additionally, via his maternal aunt Elizabeth (née Crommelin) Ludlow, he was first cousin to Daniel Ludlow, who became the inaugural president of the Manhattan Company, established in 1799 by Aaron Burr as a rival to financial enterprises led by Alexander Hamilton.
Verplanck completed his education at King's College during its early years and subsequently took on a role as a Governor of the institution.
Career
Following his graduation from King's College, Verplanck gained experience in Amsterdam working under his maternal uncle Daniel Crommelin, who was the senior partner at Daniel Crommelin & Sons—an influential Dutch banking and trading firm. He returned to New York City in 1763 and established himself as a prosperous wholesale importer and banker. In 1768, he was one of the 24 founding members of the New York Chamber of Commerce.
In 1775, Verplanck was appointed to the Committee of Safety and represented New York City and County as a delegate to the New York Provincial Congress. After endorsing the Declaration of Association opposing British rule, he withdrew from active participation in the Revolutionary War, adopting a neutral stance. His social circle included William Howe, Commander-in-Chief of British forces. Due to conflicting allegiances—his wife Judith Verplanck remained loyal to the Crown and stayed in New York City while Samuel supported independence—he retreated to the family’s summer residence, Mount Gulian, situated on the Hudson River in Fishkill. There, he permitted General Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben to use his home as headquarters for the Continental Army.
In 1804, Verplanck permanently retired to Fishkill in Dutchess County, New York, an area connected to his lineage through Gulian Verplanck, one of the original grantees of the Rombout Patent.
Personal life
In 1761 in Amsterdam, Verplanck wed his Dutch cousin Judith Crommelin (1739–1803), daughter of Daniel Crommelin. The couple resided at 3 Wall Street in a sizable yellow brick mansion that was later replaced by the U.S. Assay Building. They had multiple children; however, only one survived into adulthood:
- Daniel C. Verplanck (1762–1834), who served as a U.S. Representative from New York. In 1785, he married Elizabeth Johnson, daughter of William Samuel Johnson—a former president of Columbia College and U.S. Senator. Following her death in 1789, he remarried Ann Walton in 1790, daughter of William Walton and Mary De Lancey Walton.
Samuel Verplanck passed away on January 27, 1820.
Descendants
Samuel Verplanck's lineage includes his son Daniel, through whom he became the grandfather of Gulian Crommelin Verplanck (1786–1870), a notable member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Legacy
The Metropolitan Museum of Art preserves portraits of Samuel and his nine-year-old son Daniel, painted in 1771 by John Singleton Copley. The museum also features "the Verplanck Room," which displays artwork, furnishings, and ceramics originally from the Verplanck family estate that was moved to Fishkill.