Thomas Hillhouse (American politician)

For other people with the same name, see Thomas Hillhouse.

Thomas Hillhouse
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 26th district
In office
1860–1861
Preceded byTruman Boardman
Succeeded byCharles J. Folger
Adjutant General of New York
In office
July 1861 – 1862
GovernorEdwin D. Morgan
Preceded byJohn Meredith Read, Jr.
Succeeded byFranklin Townsend
New York State Comptroller
In office
1866–1867
GovernorReuben Fenton
Preceded byLucius Robinson
Succeeded byWilliam F. Allen
Personal details
Born(1816-03-10)March 10, 1816
Watervliet, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 31, 1897(1897-07-31) (aged 81)
Yonkers, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Harriet Prouty
​
(m. 1844)​
RelationsJames Hillhouse (uncle)
Children6
Signature

Thomas Hillhouse (March 10, 1816 – July 31, 1897) was an American farmer, banker and politician.

Early life

He was born on March 10, 1816, at Walnut Grove in Watervliet in Albany County, New York.[1] He was the son of Thomas Hillhouse (1766–1835) and Anna Van Schaick Ten Broeck (1787–1865), who married in 1812 in Hudson, New York. His father's first wife, Harriet Hosmer (a daughter of Titus Hosmer), died in 1811. Among his siblings were Sarah Ann Hillhouse (wife of Amos Stone Perry), John Hillhouse (who married Catherine Van Vranken), William Hillhouse (who married Frances Julia Betts), and half-sister, Harriet Hillhouse, who married Cornelius Schuyler.[1]

His father was the youngest son and ninth child of William Hillhouse and Sarah (née Griswold) Hillhouse (the sister of Gov. Matthew Griswold).[2] His uncle was James Hillhouse, the Federalist Senator from Connecticut.[3] His maternal grandparents were Brevet Maj. John Cornelius Ten Broeck and Anna (née Ten Broeck) Ten Broeck.[4]

Following his father's death when he was eighteen years old, he returned home to live and work on his father's farm until 1851, when he moved to Geneva, New York, in Ontario County to live in a house built his father-in-law on the banks of Seneca Lake.[5]

Career

After ten years as a country gentleman farmer, and at the urging of his father-in-law, Hillhouse became involved in politics and the anti-slavery movement. He was elected as a member of the New York State Senate (26th D.) in 1860 and 1861. In the Senate, he served as chairman of the Committee on National Affairs. Due to his work as chairman, he was appointed Adjutant General of New York by Governor Edwin D. Morgan, from July 1861 until the end of 1862. During the American Civil War the state militia fought with the Union Army.[1]

After the war ended, he returned to Geneva to resume the life of a private citizen, however, he was quickly elected in 1865 on the Republican ticket as New York State Comptroller, serving from 1866 to 1867,[6] but defeated for re-election in 1867. In 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Hillhouse Assistant Treasurer of the United States, in the City of New York. During these years, he also "he filled this office the resumption of Specie payments took place, adding greatly to its cares."[1]

He was in office for eleven years and three terms until he resigned in 1881 to become first President of the Metropolitan Trust Company in New York City,[7] a position he held until his death in 1897. In 1882, he was elected a trustee of The Bank for Savings in the City of New-York, the first savings bank in New York City.

Personal life

On December 11, 1844, Hillhouse was married to Harriet Prouty (1823–1903), the eldest child of wealthy merchant Phineas Prouty and his wife, Margaret Matilda (née Van Vranken) Prouty. Her younger brother was Phineas Prouty.[1] Her second cousin, Catherine Mynderse Van Vranken married Thomas' brother, John Hillhouse.[1] Together, they were the parents of:[1][8]

He died on July 31, 1897, at his son's residence in Yonkers, Westchester County, New York.[12] His widow died on March 16, 1903, at Springside in Yonkers.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hillhouse, Margaret Prouty (1924). Historical and Genealogical Collections Relating to the Descendants of Rev. James Hillhouse. T. A. Wright. p. 298. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  2. ^ "Hillhouse, William, (1728–1816)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  3. ^ "Hillhouse, James". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Revolution, Daughters of the American (1899). Lineage Book - National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Daughters of the American Revolution. p. 89. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Harlow, Samuel R. (1867). Life Sketches of the State Officers, Senators, and Members of the Assembly of the State of New York, in 1867. Weed, Parsons, Printers. pp. 28–30. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Election To-day; Names of the Principal Candidates. Duties of Inspectors and Canvassers" (PDF). The New York Times. November 7, 1865. p. 1. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  7. ^ "Gen. Hillhouse Retires" (PDF). The New York Times. November 19, 1881. p. 8. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  8. ^ Browning, Charles Henry (1969). Americans of Royal Descent: Collection of Genealogies Showing the Lineal Descent from Kings of Some American Families ... Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 325. ISBN 978-0-8063-0054-2. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "Obituary Notes: Thomas Griswold Hillhouse". The New York Times. May 25, 1910. p. 9. Retrieved February 16, 2022 – via NewspaperArchive.
  10. ^ "Josephine J. Adams Married at Home To Lieutenant Elmore Bostwick Jr". The New York Times. July 15, 1941. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  11. ^ "Died: Hillhouse". The New York Times. November 9, 1925. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  12. ^ "Office of the Metropolitan Trust Company" (PDF). New York Times. August 12, 1897. p. 5. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  13. ^ "Died: Hillhouse" (PDF). The New York Times. March 18, 1903. p. 9. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
New York State Senate
Preceded by New York State Senate
26th District
1860–1861 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by New York State Comptroller
1866–1867 		Succeeded by