Although Washington Irving’s stories of the Knickerbockers were fictional, the name Knickerbocker was real and the Knickerbockers were Dutch Americans. None of the Knickerbockers ever reached the level of fame attained by Washington Irving. However, this is a biography of one Knickerbocker who became a United States Congressman from the Albany, New York area.
Herman Knickerbocker [1779-1855] was the son of Johannes Knickerbocker [1749-1827]. Johannes was a descendant of Herman Jansen Knickerbocker, of Friesland, Holland. Herman Jansen Knickerbocker was one of the earliest settlers of the State of New York, and probably came over as part of the Rensselaerswyck Estate’s early settlers. Herman, the son of Johannes Knickerbocker, inherited his father’s estate, the Knickerbocker Estate at Schaghticoke, near Albany, New York, probably upon the death of his father in 1827.
Herman was raised in the Albany area, where he received a classical education probably through private tutors. Following his preparatory studies, he studied law, probably as an intern, in an existing law practice. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1803, and began his law practice in Albany, New York. In the federal election of 1808, Herman was elected to the Eleventh United States Congress as a Federalist. He served in the United States Congress from March 4, 1809 to March 3, 1811. He was not a candidate in the 1810 federal election. In 1816, Herman served in the New York State Assembly, and during that time he also served as judge of Rensselaer County, New York.
At some point during his adult life, he moved to the Knickerbocker estate in Schaghtiecoke, near Albany, New York, probably to manage the estate as his father became older. While there, he became known as “the Prince of Schaghtiecoke” and also as “Prince Knickerbocker”, because of his hospitality, and frequent entertaining.
Washington Irving refers to Herman Knickerbocker in “Knickerbocker’s History of New York”, as “My cousin, the congressman”. During one of Irving’s visits to Washington to meet President Madison, he introduced Herman Knickerbocker to President Madison as “My cousin Diedrich Knickerbocker, the great historian of New York”.
Herman Knickerbocker passed away on January 30, 1855 in Williamsburg, New York [now part of New York City]. He was interred in the Knickerbocker family cemetery in Schaghtiecoke, Renselaer County, New York.
REFERENCES
Knickerbocker, Herman, [1779-1855], http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=K000282
Johannes Knickerbocker, http://famousamericans.net/johannesknickerbocker/
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