Richard Varick

Richard Varick

Richard Varick (born March 15, 1753 in Hackensack , Province of New Jersey , †  July 30, 1831 in Jersey City , New Jersey ) was an American politician . Between 1789 and 1801 he was Mayor of New York City .

Career

Richard Varick studied law at Kings College , later Columbia University . When the Revolutionary War broke out , he joined the American cause and became captain of the state militia. He later became a member of the Continental Army . He took part in some skirmishes and became Inspector General at West Point Base . There he was a staff officer under Benedict Arnold . After he was exposed as a traitor, Varick came under the same suspicion. He was arrested and charged, but acquitted of proven innocence. He then served as George Washington's private secretary until the end of the war .

Between 1784 and 1789 he held the post of Recorder of New York City as the successor to John Watts . In 1788 and 1789 he was Attorney General of New York State . From 1786 to 1788 he was also a member of the New York State Assembly , of which he was president from 1787. Varick was again a member of the state militia, in which he made it up to colonel. In 1789 he was elected Mayor of New York City by the Council of Appointment . He held this office after a few re-elections between 1789 and 1801. The urban area of ​​New York extended until 1898 essentially to what is now Manhattan .

After his tenure as mayor, Richard Varick also worked in the banking industry. He was also a co-founder and president of the American Bible Society . He was also a member of the Society of the Cincinnati and headed its New York office. He died in Jersey City on July 30, 1831.

Web links

• Richard Varick in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Richard Varick at The Political Graveyard
• biography

predecessor	Office	successor
James Duane	Mayor of New York City 1798–1801	Edward Livingston