John Peter Van Ness

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Peter Van Ness

John Peter Van Ness (* 1770 in Ghent , Columbia County , Province of New York , †  March 7, 1846 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician . Between 1801 and 1803 he represented New York State in the US House of Representatives . He was also mayor of the federal capital Washington from 1830 to 1834.

Career

John Van Ness attended preparatory schools and Columbia College in New York City . After completing a law degree, he was admitted to the bar. But he didn't work as a lawyer. Politically, he joined the Democratic Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson .

After the resignation of MP John Bird , Van Ness was elected as his successor to the US House of Representatives in Washington, where he took up his new mandate on October 6, 1801. He held this until January 17, 1803. On that day his seat was declared vacant. The background was his appointment as major in the District of Columbia militia by President Jefferson. The constitution, however, did not allow the simultaneous exercise of a federal office and a mandate in Congress . Therefore he had to give up his seat there.

After serving as a member of Congress, John Van Ness stayed in the federal capital, where he continued his career in the federal district militia. By 1813 he made it to major general . In 1829 he was elected to the Washington City Council. Between 1830 and 1834 he was mayor there. In 1833 he served as the second vice president of the board of directors of the Washington National Monument Society, and in 1834 he was president of the Washington City Canal Commission . He also got into the banking industry. He became president of the Washington branch of Second Bank of the United States . He headed the National Metropolitan Bank from 1814 until his death . He also made a name for himself as a philanthropist. Since 1802 he was married to Marcia Burns (1782-1832). He died in Washington on March 7, 1846.

Web links

predecessor Office successor
John Bird United States House of Representatives for New York (6th constituency)
October 6, 1801 - January 17, 1803
Isaac Bloom
Joseph Gales Mayor of Washington, DC
1830–1834
William A. Bradley