Leonard Gansevoort (1751-1810) was an American political leader from New York who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1788.

He was born to Harmen (1712-1801) Gansevoort and Magdalena Douw (1718-1796) Gansevoort on July 14, 1751 in Albany County, New York. He represented Albany County in New York's revolutionary assembley in 1778 and 1779. While his brother Peter served in the Continental Army, Leonard supported the American Revolutionary War through the militia, eventually becoming a Colonel. Early in his political career he was aligned with the patrician group of the large estates owners and commercial interests, but later became involved with the early evolution of the Democratic Party in New York. He served in the state assembly again from 1787-1788 and in the state Senate from 1790-1793 and 1796-1802. He died on August 26, 1810 at home in Albany.

External link

Leonard Gansevoort Congressional Biography

Further Reading:

  • Alice P. Kenney; The Gansevoorts of Albany; 1979, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, New York.
  • Alice P. Kenney; Stubborn for Liberty: The Dutch in New York; 1975, Syracuse University Press, ISBN 0815601131. (1989 Paperback: ISBN 0815624824)