Egbert Benson (New York politician)

Egbert Benson (September 1, 1789 – February 25, 1866) was an American politician and prominent landowner in Brooklyn.

For his uncle, an American Founding Father, see Egbert Benson.
Egbert Benson
3rd President of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York
In office
1842–1844
Preceded byGulian Crommelin Verplanck
Succeeded byJames R. Manley
Personal details
Born(1789-09-01)September 1, 1789
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedFebruary 25, 1866(1866-02-25) (aged 76)
New York, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s)
Maria Cowenhoven
​
​
(m. 1820; his death 1866)​
RelationsEgbert Benson (uncle)
Leffert Lefferts (brother-in-law)
ParentsRobert Benson
Dinah Couwenhoven Benson
Alma materColumbia College

Early life

Benson was born in New York on September 1, 1789. He was the son of Dinah (née Couwenhoven) Benson and Lieutenant Colonel Robert Benson (1739–1823),[1] Clerk of the New York State Senate.[2] His siblings included Robert Benson; Maria Benson, the wife of Leffert Lefferts; Jane Benson, the wife of Dr. Richard Kissam Hoffman.[3]

His uncle, and namesake, was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Egbert Benson, a U.S. Representative who served as the Chief Judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Second Circuit. His paternal grandparents were Robert Benson and Tryntje "Catharina" (née Van Borsum) Benson.[3]

Benson attended Columbia College, graduating in 1807.[4]

Career

From 1835 to 1841, and again in 1845 and 1846, Benson was a member of the Board of Alderman, serving as that bodies president from 1836 to 1838. For a short period, he also served as acting Mayor.[4]

In 1842, he was chosen as the 4th President of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York.[4]

Personal life

On May 17, 1820, Benson was married to his cousin, Maria Cowenhoven (1803–1867),[5] a daughter of John N. Cowenhoven and Susan (née Martense) Cowenhoven. Maria was a granddaughter of Judge Nicholas Cowenhoven, who had bought more than 200 acres in New Utrecht, Brooklyn (most of which Benson later owned), including what is known today as the Vechte–Cortelyou House.[6] Together, they lived at 36 East 22nd Street and were the parents of eight children, including:[7][8]

  • Susan Benson (b. 1821)[5]
  • Robert Benson (1823–1883).[3]
  • Egbert Benson (1824–1843)[5]
  • George Martense Benson (1826–1867), who married Margaret J. Voorhees, daughter of Peter Voorhees (descendants of Coert van Voorhees), in 1856.[5]
  • Maria Elizabeth Benson (1830–1832), who died young.[5]
  • Henry Benson (1834–1844), who died young.[5]
  • Richard Hoffman Benson (1837–1889), who married Sarah Vanderpoel, daughter of Abraham B Vanderpoel.[5]

Benson died in New York on February 25, 1866. After a funeral at the South Reformed Dutch Church in New York City, he was buried at New Utrecht Cemetery in New Utrecht (today known as Bensonhurst, New York).[4]

References
  1. Yearbook of the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York. Sons of the Revolution New York Society. 1910. p. 69. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  2. "Robert Benson (1739-1823)". www.nyhistory.org. New-York Historical Society. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  3. The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York: History, Customs, Record of Events, Constitution, Certain Genealogies, and Other Matters of Interest. V. 1-. Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York. 1905. p. 17. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  4. Youngs, Florence Evelyn Pratt; Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York (1914). Portraits of the Presidents of The Society, 1835-1914. New York, NY: Order of the Society. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  5. Genealogical Notes of New York and New England Families. Heritage Books. 2000. p. 21. ISBN 9780788419560. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  6. Linder, Marc; Zacharias, Lawrence S. (1999). Of Cabbages and Kings County: Agriculture and the Formation of Modern Brooklyn. University of Iowa Press. p. 273. ISBN 9780877457145. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  7. "Egbert Benson". exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov. New York State Museum. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  8. Bangs, Charlotte Rebecca Woglom (1912). Reminiscences of Old New Utrecht and Gowanus. Brooklyn Eagle Press. p. 192. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
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