Egbert Benson

For his nephew, a Brooklyn, New York politician, see Egbert Benson (New York politician) .

Egbert Benson (June 21, 1746 – August 24, 1833) was an American lawyer, jurist, politician and Founding Father who represented New York State in the Continental Congress , Annapolis Convention , and United States House of Representatives . He served as a member of the New York constitutional convention in 1788 which ratified the United States Constitution . He also served as the first attorney general of New York , chief justice of the New York Supreme Court , and as the chief United States circuit judge of the United States circuit court for the second circuit .

Contents

• 1 Education and career

• 2 Political and judicial service

• 3 Later life

• 4 Descendants and legacy

• 5 Notes

• 6 References

• 7 External links

Education and career

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Benson's ancestor, Dirck Benson, who settled in New Amsterdam in 1649, was the founder of the Benson family in America. Egbert Benson was born in New York City in the Province of New York , the son of Robert Benson (1715–1762) and Catherine (Van Borsum) Benson (1718–1794). The Benson family was one of the earliest Dutch families to have settled in Manhattan .

In a letter written to Arthur D. Benson, Egbert Benson lived at the corner of Puntine and Fulton streets in the home of William Puntine.

His home was one of the centers of cultural life in New York City. Benson lived with his maternal grandmother, a widow who lived on Broad Street , at the corner of Beaver, during the early part of his life.

Benson was taught in Dutch , and he learned his catechism in that language. Upon reaching a suitable age, Benson attended the Collegiate School , a school of repute, and prepared himself for college. During this time, he was guided and assisted by Reverend Doctor Barclay, rector of Trinity Church . He was privately educated, then attended King's College (now Columbia University ), graduating in 1765. He read law , was admitted to the bar and moved to Red Hook in Dutchess County , New York. He practiced law both there and in New York City. Benson was also honored by Harvard University and Dartmouth College .

A relative of Benson's was Benjamin Benson, a Revolutionary War soldier and member of the committee of correspondence .[_citation needed
_] He signed one of the Articles of Association , or "Association Test", which was preliminary to the Declaration of Independence , at Haverstraw , New York, in May 1775. Egbert Benson was the brother of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Benson and Captain Henry Benson, who commanded an armed vessel in the Revolution.

Benson owned slaves; in the 1790 census, he was recorded as having one slave, and in the 1800 census, two slaves. Despite his personal ownership of slaves, he was involved in the anti-slavery New York Manumission Society.

Political and judicial service

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Towards the start of the American Revolutionary War, Benson approved the course of the Sons of Liberty and gave up, in a measure, his professional prospects then brightly opening and devoted himself to his country. He aided the Sons of Liberty, who were in Dutchess County where Benson, as a part of his first efforts, gave proper directions to the political meetings. When the British occupied New York City in 1776, Benson remained in Dutchess County for several years.[_citation needed
] From 1777 to 1781, Benson served as a member of the New York State Assembly and drafted every important bill passed there in during the Revolution. The county made him the president of their committee of safety and in 1777 sent him to the revolutionary New York State Assembly.[citation needed
_] When the first state government was organized, Benson was appointed the first New York attorney general and served until 1788. He was elected to the Assembly annually until 1781 and again in 1788.

New York sent Benson as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1784. Although he was reappointed in 1785, he did not attend sessions.[_citation needed
_] In 1786, he was named by the Legislature to accompany [Alexander Hamilton](h

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