Representing Long Island - William Floyd's Revolution
Well, here it is. My 1000th article!
Today’s Founder, William Floyd, has a house that still stands which I used to volunteer at, so it seems like as fitting a day as any to present his story.
William Floyd was a signer of the Declaration of Independence whose family suffered greatly when the British took Long Island.
William Floyd
When William Floyd was 20-years-old his parents passed away.
William inherited a plantation on Long Island as well as the responsibility to care for his younger siblings.
By the time hostility erupted with Great Britain, Floyd joined his brothers-in-law Nathaniel Woodhull and Ezra l'Hommedieu as the leaders of the Patriot Cause in Suffolk County.
Continental Congress
When the call went out to assemble the First Continental Congress, William was sent as a Delegate representing Long Island.
In fact, Floyd would spend the better part of the next 15 years bouncing between the NY State Senate and the Continental Congress.
Though he did not speak often, he was well respected by all his contemporaries and served on dozens of important committees throughout the years.
In addition to the Continental Association, Floyd was the only Long Islander to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Stable-House
During his time in Congress, William’s house was captured by the British.
His family was forced to flee to Connecticut (where his wife, Hannah, would pass away) and his property was used as a stable.
When the war ended, Floyd returned after seven years away and began to clean up his home. At the same time, he purchased land along the Mohawk River in Upstate New York, spending several summers there building a house.
Federal Official
In 1789 William Floyd was elected as an inaugural member of the United States House of Representatives.
As the Congressman from NY’s 1st District, Floyd was not only the first person to represent Long Island, but also Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.
Floyd lost reelection (to James Townsend, who died before taking office) but in 1795 ran unsuccessfully for the office of Lieutenant Governor of New York alongside Robert Yates.
In 1803, Floyd moved to the land he owned along the Mohawk River, spending the last two decades of his life improving the land and contributing to the growth of the area.
Want to learn about one of Floyd’s neighbors?
Great, check this article out:
William Smith’s House Gets Turned Into a Fort
’Long Island Founder’ is the only book I know about William Floyd, it is short yet informative.
Pick it up through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same) .
