Phillip French

This article is about the former Mayor of New York. For the film critic and radio producer, see Philip French.

Phillip French II (c. February 13, 1666/7 – c. June 3, 1707)^{[1][self-published source]} was the 27th Mayor of New York City from 1702 to 1703.^[2]

Phillip French
27th Mayor of New York City
In office October 19, 1702 – October 1703
Preceded by	Thomas Noell
Succeeded by	William Peartree
Personal details
Born	c. February 13, 1666/7 Suffolk, England
Died	c. June 3, 1707 New York City, Province of New York, British America
Spouse	Annetje Philipse ​ ​ (after 1694)​
Relations	Frederick Philipse (father-in-law)
Parent(s)	Philip French Elisabeth Crawling

Early life

French was born in Suffolk, England, and was sometimes known as Philip French Van London.^[3] He was the son of Phillip French, a London merchant who owned property in Knodishall, and Elisabeth (née Crawling) French, his first wife. He has a brother, John French, who was mentioned in his 1706 will.^[4]

Career

French first came to New York in 1686. He returned again in June 1689, and became a prosperous merchant, working with Frederick Philipse on behalf of his father. In politics, he was an active anti-Leislerian. He became was Speaker of the Assembly in 1698 and an Alderman in 1701.^[4] At the time, he leased the dock for £40 sterling.^[5]

On September 19, 1702, he was appointed the 27th Mayor of New York City.^{[5][self-published source]} French served from October 19, 1702 to October 1703.^[4][6]

Personal life

Further information: Livingston family

On July 8, 1694, French was married to Annetje "Anna" Philipse (b. 1667) at the Reformed Dutch Church in New York. She was the daughter of Margareta (née Hardenbroeck) Philipse and Frederick Philipse, the 1st Lord of Philipsburg Manor.^[7] Together, they were the parents of:^[4]

• Philip French III (1697–1782), who married Susanna Brockholst (1696–1730), the daughter of Anthony Brockholst, an acting Governor of Colonial New York under Sir Edmund Andros.^[8]
• Elizabeth French (c. 1700), who married Cornelius Van Horne,^[9] the son of Johannes Van Horne.^[10]
• Anne French (c. 1703), who married Joseph Reade (1694–1771), a second-generation English prominent merchant.^[11]
• Margareta French (c. 1705), who died unmarried.

He prepared a will, dated May 29, 1706, that was proven June 3, 1707.^[3]

Descendants

Through his son Philip, was the grandfather of Susannah French (1723–1789) who married William Livingston (1723–1790), a politician who served as the Governor of New Jersey (1776–1790) during the American Revolutionary War and was a signer of the United States Constitution.^[12]

Another granddaughter through Philip, Elisabeth French (1724–1808), was married to David Clarkson (1726–1782), and they were the parents of Matthew Clarkson (1758–1825), a colonial soldier and politician, and Thomas Streatfeild Clarkson, the grandfather of Thomas S. Clarkson, the namesake of Clarkson University.^[13]

See also

• List of mayors of New York City
• Van Horne House – home of Cornelius Van Horne

References

1. Caliendo, Ralph J. (2010-05-01). New York City Mayors. Xlibris Corporation. p. 63. ISBN 9781450088145.
2. Mayors of New York City Retrieved on 12 June 2016.
3. Greene, Richard Henry; Stiles, Henry Reed; Morrison, George Austin; Dwight, Melatiah Everett; Mott, Hopper Striker; Totten, John Reynolds; Forest, Louis Effingham De; Pitman, Harold Minot; Ditmas, Charles Andrew; Mann, Conklin; Maynard, Arthur S. (1878). The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. p. 118. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
4. "Philip and John French of NYC, FFA Chart #131". www.frenchfamilyassoc.com. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
5. Caliendo, Ralph J. (2010). New York City Mayors. Xlibris Corporation. p. 63. ISBN 9781450088145. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
6. Council, New York (N Y. ) Common; Osgood, Herbert Levi; Keep, Austin Baxter; Nelson, Charles Alexander; New-York Historical Society (1905). Minutes of the Common Council of the City of New York, 1675-1776. Dodd, Mead & Co. pp. 233–234. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
7. Hoffman, Samuel Verplanck (1903). Collections of The New-York Historical Society for the Year 1902 | Publication Fund Series. New York: Printed for the Society. p. 91. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
8. "Susannah French Livingston". womenhistoryblog.com. History of American Women. 30 January 2009. Archived from the original on 13 July 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
9. The American Genealogist. D.L. Jacobus. 1970. p. 238. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
10. Archives, Episcopal Church General Convention Commission on; Hobart, J. H. (1804). Archives of the General Convention. Privately printed. p. 506. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
11. Archdeacon, Thomas J. (2013-09-20). New York City, 1664-1710: Conquest and Change. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801468919.
12. Livingston, Edwin Brockholst (1910). The Livingstons of Livingston Manor: Being the History of that Branch of the Scottish House of Callendar which Settled in the English Province of New York During the Reign of Charles the Second; and Also Including an Account of Robert Livingston of Albany, "The Nephew," a Settler in the Same Province and His Principal Descendants. New York: The Knickerbocker Press. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
13. Reynolds, Cuyler (1914). Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 1335–1336. Retrieved 16 November 2017.