John Lovett

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According to traditional sources, John Lovett was born in the present township of Lisbon, Conecticut in February 1761. His English family settled in Connecticut as early as 1640. He was the son of Captain Samuel Lovett and his first wife Abigail Sprague Lovett.

After a preparatory education at the Lebanon Academy, he entered Yale College. He graduated with distinction in 1782. Shortly thereafter, he arrived in Albany eager to make his way. That August, he was engaged as a teacher at the Academy in Albany.

In January 1788, he married Nancy Mc Clellan of Woodstock, Connecticut. They raised a large family in several locations in upstate New York.

Highly recommended, he clerked in the Albany law office of fellow Yale alum Richard Sill. However, Sill died in 1790.

After being admitted to the Bar, he re-located to Fort Miller where he served as a land agent. In 1790, his large family (seven boys) was configured on the census for the town of Argyle in Washington County.

By 1800, he was living in Lansingburgh from where he practiced law, acquired farm property, was elected to the New York State Assembly, and served one term.

In 1807, he returned to Albany. In 1810, his household was first configured on the Albany census.

He served in the War of 1812 as secretary to General Stephen Van Rensselaer. He was wounded at the Battle of Queenstown in 1812 and was returned to Albany.

From 1813 to 1815, he was Albany County Clerk with an office in the new State Capitol.

In 1813, he was elected to the United States Congress as a Federalist. At that time, the city directory listed his home as the corner of Hamilton and Lodge Streets and his office as 430 North Market Street. Following his tenure in Washington, Lovett appears to have left Albany and to have settled permanently in Ohio.

John Lovett died at Fort Meigs, Ohio in August 1818 at the age of fifty-three. Two months later, letters of administration were issued on his estate in Albany.

His Memoir provides a enhanced discussion of his relatively short life.


biography in-progress


notes

the people of colonial Albany Sources: The life of John Lovett is CAP biography number 3891. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources. Wikipedia bio;





first posted: 2/10/10