Henry Glen
by
Stefan Bielinski


Henry Glen was born in 1739. He was the son of Albany residents Jacob and Elizabeth Cuyler Glen. He was the younger brother of John Glen, Jr. and often was referred to as "Henry Glen, Jr."

In December 1762, he married Elizabeth Visscher of Schenectady. By 1785, the marriage produced seven children who were baptized in the Dutch churches of Albany and Schenectady where their parents were members.

Henry Glen was a businessman (possibly a frontier peddlar in his younger days) but primarily a land trader. He owned residences in both Albany and Schenectady. In 1766, his Albany property was assessed at 30 pounds - a substantial levy denoting upper-echelon wealth. At the same time, he was identified as a Schenectady "alderman." In 1790, his third ward Albany residence included seven slaves. But by 1800, he had moved and his household appeared on the Schenectady census.

Henry Glen is best known for service to the Patriot cause during the American Revolution. In 1775, he was elected to represent Schenectady on the Albany County Committee of Correspondence. He held militia commissions and was sometimes called "Colonel." His principal contribution was in the Quartermaster Department where he served as Assistant Deputy QMG and was headquartered in Schenectady. Glen was associated with George Washington and accompanied the future president on his tour of the Mohawk Valley in 1783.

His sister married Abraham C. Cuyler - the last mayor of Albany under the British and an exiled Tory.

Henry Glen held a number of public offices over a long career. He was appointed "town clerk" for Schenectady in 1767. He was elected to represent Albany County in the first three Provincial Congresses in 1775 and 1776. After the war, he was elected to the New York State Assembly for Albany County in 1786 and for new Schenectady County in 1810. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1793, 1795, 1797, and 1799. During the Revolution, he also served as an Indian Commissioner.

Revolutionary stalwart Henry Glen died in Schenectady in January 1814 at the age of seventy-five.

PAGE IN PROGRESS


notes

the people of colonial Albany Sources: The life of Henry Glen is CAP biography number 4923. This profile is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources. The "Henry Glen Papers" at the Clements Library are chief among manuscripts resources. A number of biographical sketches are available online!

Land: Besides a changing portfolio of Albany and Schenectady real estate, Glen owned a share in the Kayaderosseras Patent, shares in the Jerseyfield Patent, and perhaps others!



Home | Site Index | Navigation | Email | New York State Museum


first posted: 8/5/03; updated 10/20/10