Van Rensselaer, Stephen, 1764-1839
Dates
- Existence: 1764-1839
- Existence: 1764 - 1839
Biographical Note
Fifth in direct descent from Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, the first Patroon, Stephen Van Rensselaer III inherited a vast landed estate in Rensselaer and Albany counties at the age of five. He graduated from Harvard in 1782 and spent time in New York state government and as a member of the U.S. Congress (1822-29). His chief services to New York, however, were economic and educational. He was a member of the Erie Canal commissions and president of the state's first board of agriculture. He was the landlord for 3,000 tenants on Rensselaerswyck, his nearly 1,200 square mile estate and the founder and supporter of a wide variety of social, educational, business, and governmental institutions. In 1783 Van Rensselaer married Margarita Schuyler, the daughter of General Philip Schuyler. Following her death in 1801 he married Cornelia Paterson, daughter of former New Jersey Governor William Paterson In 1824 it was Van Rensselaer’s vision and support that enabled Amos Eaton to establish the Rensselaer School “for the purpose of instructing persons, who may choose to apply themselves, in the application of science to the common purposes of life.”
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Isadore M. Fixman collection
The collection contains family letters, legal documents (personal, professional, and business), primarily written by residents of New York State and miscellany; photographs of nineteenth-century portraits from the album of Elizabeth Van Rensselaer; black and white photographs taken in the mid-1950s and 1960s of Van Rensselaer family member portraits and homes; newspapers with articles relating to the Van Rensselaer family.
Stephen Van Rensselaer III collection
The Stephen Van Rensselaer collection consists of correspondence and financial records.
Additional filters:
- Subject
- Albany County (N.Y.) 1
- Erie Canal (N.Y.) 1
- Family papers 1
- Manuscripts 1
- Maps 1
- New York (State) -- History -- 1775-1865 1
- Pamphlets 1
- Photographs 1
- Rensselaer County (N.Y.) 1
- Reports 1 + ∧ less