Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/350

 DUEK

DUER

1S48 he removed to Cortland, X.Y., where he practised his profession. In 1850 he was ap- pointed district attorney for Cortland county and served as such until 1855, when he became district jud>;e. He tilled that office until 1S,"»9. He was a Kepublican representative in the 3(ith and 3Tth congresses, iyo'J-(Jo, and in the 42d and 4;3d congresses, 1871-75. He was U.S. commis- sioner of piiteuts, 1875-76. His son, Charles HolLind, born in Cortland, N.Y.. April 13, 1850, was graduated from Hamilton college in 1871 and from Hamilton law school in 1872; became a patent lawyer in Syracuse, N.Y., and was made commissioner of patents in 1898. Kobert Holland Duell died in Cortland, N.Y., Feb. 11, 1891.

DUER, John, jurist, was born in Albanj'-, N.Y., Oct. 7. 1782; son of Col. William and Catharine (Alexander) Duer. He received his primarj- education in New York city and in 1798 entered the U.S. army, resigning in 1800 to take up the study of law. He practised first in Orange county and removed in 1820 to New York city. He was a delegate to the state constitu- tional convention in 1821 and a commissioner to revise the statute laws of the state in 1825. He was an associate judge of the superior court of New York, 1849-57, and on the death of Chief Justice Oakley in 1857 succeeded him as head of the superior bench. He was a trustee of Colum- bia college. 1823-30, and received the degree of LL.D. from that institution in 1837. He married Anne Bunner of Oswego. N. Y. Besides several works on insurance he published: A Discourse on the Life, Cluiracter and Pi'blic Sen-ices of James Kent, Chancellor of the State of New York, deliv- ered April 12. 1848, at the request of the bench and bar of New York; and with Benjamin F. Butler and John C. Spencer wrote Tliree of the Revised Statutes of the State. He edited five volu?nes of Duer's Reports of the Decisions of the Superior Court of the State of Neic York, leaving the .sixth volume unfinished at the time of his death, which occurred on Stnten Island. N. Y.. Aug. 8. 1858.

DUER, William, delegate, was born in Devon- shire, England, March 18, 1747; son of John and Frances (Frye) Uuer. He was educated at Eton, entered the British army as an ensign and ac- companied Lord Clive to India in 1762 as aide-de- camp. He was sent home suffering with fever, left the army, and remained in England until his father's death in 1767. He then took charge of his father's plantations at Antigua and Dominica. In 1768 he went to New York to obtain lumber for his plantations and there met Gen. Philip Schuyler, who induced him to purchase a tract of timljered lands and sawmills at Fort Miller on the Hud.son river. He established large manu- facturing intere.sts there, going in 1773 to Eng- land, where he obtained a contract to supply

timber to tiie navy to be used as masts and spars. He became a citizen of the province of New York and was colonel of the militia, judge of the county court, and a memljer of the pro- vincial congre.ss and of the committee of safety. In the convention of 1777 lie was on the commit- tee to make a draft of the constitution for the state. He was sent by the provincial congress as a delegate to the Continental congress, .serving, 1777-78. He was secreUiry of the treasury board, 1789, and on the organization of the Federal treasury that year was made assistant .secretary of the treasury under Alexander Hamilton. In 1779 he was married at "Tlie Buildings" near Baskingridge. N. J., to Catliarine. second daughter of Gen. William Alexander (Earl of Stirling), and a descendant of the de Peystere, Living.stons and Schuylers. They made their residence at Rhinebeck, N.Y. In 1792 Mr. Duer failed in business and this failure affected so large a class as to cause a financial panic, the first wit- nessed in New York, tlirougli specula! ions, and the aggregate losses were estimated to have reached $3,000,000. Ho died in New York city, May 7, 1799. DUER, William, representative, was born in New York city, May 25, 1805: son of William

Alexander and (Denning) Duer. He was

graduated at Columbia college in 1824, was ad- mitted to the bar and removed to Oswego, N.Y., where he began to practi.se in 1828. He was defeated in election for member of assembly in his district in 1832 and returned to New York, going thence to New Orleans. La., where he mar- ried Lucy, daughter of Beverly Chew. In 1835 he returned to Oswego, was elected to the state assembly in 1840-41 and was district attorney for the count J', 1845-47. He represented his district in the 30tli and 31st congresses, 1847-51. He was appointed U. S. con.sul at Valparaiso, serv- ing, 1851-54, when he removed to San Francisco. Cal., and was county clerk. He prepared, with Elijah Paine. Practice of the Courts of Comvion. Law in the State of Xeir York (1830). He died in San Francisco, Cal., in isT'J.

DUER, William Alexander, jurist, was born at Rhinebeck, N.Y., Sept. 8. 1780; son of William and Catharine (Alexander) Duer. He studied law in Philadel])hia and with Nathaniel Pendleton in New York city. He served under Decatur in the war with France, 1798, resuming his law studies at the close of the war, and in 1802 was admitted to the bar. He first practised with Edward Livingston in New York city, and on Living.ston's removal to New Orleans, became a partner with Beverlej' Robinson. He was a su]) porter of Aaron Burr and a contributor to the Cnrrertor, conducted by Dr. Peter Irving. He soon after joined Edward Livingston in New Orleans and successfuUv conducted a law busi-