Abraham Van Vechten

Abraham Van Vechten
New York State Attorney General
In office February 2, 1810 – February 1, 1811
Governor	Daniel D. Tompkins
Preceded by	Matthias B. Hildreth
Succeeded by	Matthias B. Hildreth
New York State Attorney General
In office February 13, 1813 – February 17, 1815
Governor	Daniel D. Tompkins
Preceded by	Thomas Addis Emmet
Succeeded by	Martin Van Buren
Personal details
Born	December 5, 1762 Catskill, Albany County, New York
Died	January 6, 1837 (aged 74) Albany, New York
Nationality	American
Political party	Federalist
Spouse(s)	Catharina Schuyler (died 1820)
Residence	Albany, New York
Alma mater	Columbia College of Columbia University
Profession	Lawyer, politician

Abraham Van Vechten (December 5, 1762 – January 6, 1837) was an American lawyer and a Federalist politician who served twice as New York State Attorney General.

Life

Abraham Van Vechten was born on December 5, 1762 in Catskill, Albany County (now Greene County), New York. He was the son of Dutch immigrants Teunis van Vechten (1707–1785) and Judikje ten Broeck (van Vechten). Van Vechten was educated at Columbia College, studied law with John Lansing, Jr., and began practice in Johnstown, New York, but soon removed to Albany. In 1784, he married Catharina Schuyler (1766–1820). In 1792, he was elected one of the first directors of the Bank of Albany.

From 1796 to 1797, he was Assistant Attorney General for the Fifth District, comprising Albany, Saratoga, Schoharie and Montgomery Counties. He was a Federalist presidential elector in 1796, and cast his votes for John Adams and Thomas Pinckney.

He was Recorder of the City of Albany from 1797 to 1808; a member of the New York State Senate from 1798 to 1805, and from 1816 to 1819; a member of the New York State Assembly in 1806, and from 1808 to 1813; New York State Attorney General from 1810 to 1811, and from 1813 to 1815; and a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821. From 1797 to 1823, he was a regent of the University of the State of New York.

Van Vechten was a presidential elector in 1828, voting for John Quincy Adams and Richard Rush.

Van Vechten died in Albany on January 6, 1837, and was buried at Albany Rural Cemetery.

Sources

• Finding Aid to Abraham Van Vechten Papers, 1686-1867 at the New York State Library, accessed May 18, 2016.
• www.famousamericans.net/abrahamvanvechten/ Bio from Appleton's Encyclopedia, at Famous Americans (giving wrong death date)
• Obit in The Newark Daily Advertiser, Newark, New Jersey, on January 10, 1837
• Bio at NY State Museum
• Bio at Schenectady History
• The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) at Google Books
• List of NY State Attorneys General, at Office of the Att. Gal. of NY