Zephaniah Platt
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Zephaniah Platt | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New York Provincial Congress | |
| In office 1775–1777 | |
| Member of the Committee of Safety | |
| In office 1777–1777 | |
| Member of the New York State Senate | |
| In office 1777–1783 | |
| Member of the Congress of the Confederation | |
| In office 1785–1786 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 27, 1735 |
| Died | September 12, 1807 (aged 72) |
| Spouses | Mary Hannah Davis
(m. 1756; died 1761)Mary Van Wyck (m. 1761) |
| Relations | Zephaniah Platt (grandson) |
| Children | 14, including Jonas, Charles |
| Occupation | lawyer |
Zephaniah Platt (May 27, 1735 – September 12, 1807) was an American politician and lawyer, and founder of the U.S. town of Plattsburgh, New York.[1]
Platt was born in Huntington, Province of New York, to Zephaniah Platt (1705-1778).[1] He was a direct descendant of Richard Platt (1603–1684), who was born in Ware, Hertfordshire, England, and settled in the Connecticut Colony.[2]
Platt received an English education.[2]
Career
Zephaniah Platt practiced law in Poughkeepsie, New York, and was a member of the New York Provincial Congress (1775–1777),[3] Committee of Safety (1777), State Senate (1777–1783), Congress of the Confederation (1785 and 1786), Council of Appointment (1778 and 1781). He was a Dutchess County judge from 1781 to 1795 and delegate to the New York Constitutional Convention in 1788.[4][5]
In 1788, he founded the town of Plattsburgh in New York, and moved there in 1798 to continue practicing law.[6] He was an originator of the Erie Canal, and was a regent of the University of the State of New York from 1791 until his death, in Plattsburgh, in 1807.[1]
