William W. Van Ness

William W. Van Ness (born 1776 in Claverack , Columbia County , New York ; died February 27, 1823 in Charleston , South Carolina ) was an American lawyer, New York Supreme Court Justice, and Federalist politician . He is not to be confused with his cousin William P. Van Ness (1778-1826), also a judge and active in New York politics, but who was close to the Republicans around Aaron Burr.

career

Little is known about Van Ness' origins. He was admitted to the bar in 1797 and practiced in Claverack and Hudson for the next several years. From 1800 he rose to the leading federalists in Columbia County, was elected to the House of Representatives of New York State for one year in 1805 and 1806 , where he was one of the opinion leaders of the federal opposition. In 1807 he was appointed judge of the New York State Supreme Court. In 1821 he was a member of the constituent assembly of the state, where he represented conservative-federalist positions, i.e. wanted to see the right to vote still linked to tax payments. The constitutional reform of 1823 also led to a reorganization of the Supreme Court, so that Van Ness lost his office, which was actually awarded for life; a little later he died in Charleston.

literature

• Jabez D. Hammond: The History of Political Parties in the State of New York. 2 volumes, New York 1842.
• Donald M. Roper: Van Ness, William W. In: American National Biography Online , Oxford University Press, New York 2004-: < http://www.anb.org/articles/11/11-01087.html > (restricted access ).