Mayor Abraham Ten Broeck's Birgade
Abraham Ten Broeck was a Mayor of Albany during the Revolutionary War and the keeper of one of America’s largest fortunes.
Abraham Ten Broeck
Abraham Ten Broeck was born to a wealthy family in Albany, NY who gave him the opportunity to study trade under Philip Livingston.
After a brief trip to Europe, he returned and began his own business.
Additionally, he married Elizabeth Van Rensselaer, sister of the Lord of Rensselaerswyck. When his brother-in-law died, Abraham was put in charge of the estate until his nephew came of age.
Broeck spent fifteen years overseeing what was arguably the biggest fortune in New York, if not North America.
Rensselaerwyck
Abraham’s time controlling Rensselaer's Manor coincided with the Revolutionary War.
It should be noted that New York was still largely controlled by a feudal system, so Broeck controlled all the land that was being farmed for a hundred miles (with the exception of the city of Albany).
As such, he served in the Provincial Assembly after the Revolutionary War broke out, followed by several years as Mayor of Albany. Additionally, he spent a year as Chairman of the State’s Committee of Safety.
Broeck’s Birgade
Overlapping with his time in politics, Broeck fought in the war.
He spent several years as a Colonel in the State Militia, including commanding ‘Ten Broeck’s Brigade’ at the Battle of Saratoga.
In the Spring of 1798, Abraham was promoted to Brigadier General.
Mayor Again
After the war, Broeck turned over the keys to the Manor to the now-old-enough Stephen Van Rensselaer III.
Furthermore, he was briefly returned to the office of Mayor of Albany.
Abraham built a fancy mansion to live comfortably in for the remainder of his life while politically falling in with the Federalist Party in the later days of the American Founding.
Want to read about the effect of New York’s Dutch heritage on cooking in the young United States?
Great! Check out this article:
Amelia Simmons - The Mother of American Cookbooks
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