The Political Graveyard: Columbia County, N.Y.

Columbia County
New York

Columbia County information:

Population: 63,094 (2000); 62,982 (1990)
Land area 636 square miles.
County seat: Hudson
Capital Impact: Columbia County -- officials, addresses, and political, economic, education data
USA MapStats: Columbia County -- census data on population, race, economics
Columbia County NYGenWeb page -- genealogical, historical information and queries
(if this link doesn't work, find the new one through the USGenWeb national site).
Columbia County page at Interment.Net (Cemetery Records Online).

Neighboring areas:

The Political Graveyard:

Selected officials of Columbia County
Politicians who were born in Columbia County
Politicians who lived in Columbia County
Politicians who died in Columbia County
Cemeteries and Memorial Sites of Politicians in Columbia County

Assignment of birthplaces, deathplaces, and cemeteries to counties is subject to error. The intent is to locate places according to current county names and boundaries. If you don't find what you're looking for, check other nearby counties, the unassigned page, or the Gazetteer. Any corrections to county locations would be greatly appreciated. See contact information on the Main Page.

Selected officials of Columbia County

(not intended to be complete)

Martin Van Buren (County Surrogate, 1808-13) Ezekiel Gilbert (County Clerk, 1813-15) Aaron V. S. Cochrane (District Attorney, 1889-92) Burns Barford (District Attorney, 1925)

Private or family graveyard
Columbia County, New York

Politicians formerly buried here:

Edward Livingston (1764-1836) — of New York, New York County, N.Y.; New Orleans, Orleans Parish, La. Born in Clermont, Columbia County, N.Y., May 28, 1764. Great-grandson of Robert Livingston (1654-1728); grandson of Robert Livingston (1688-1775); first cousin once removed of Peter Van Brugh Livingston, Philip Livingston (1716-1778) and Henry Walter Livingston; son of Robert R. Livingston (1718-1775); second cousin of Peter R. Livingston, Walter Livingston, Philip Livingston (1740-1810) and Henry Brockholst Livingston; brother of Robert R. Livingston (1746-1813), Alida Livingston (who married John Armstrong, Jr.) and Gertrude Livingston (who married Morgan Lewis); brother-in-law of Auguste Davezac; first cousin once removed and uncle by marriage of Edward Philip Livingston. Democrat. U.S. Representative from New York, 1795-1801 (1st District 1795-99, 2nd District 1799-1801); mayor of New York City, N.Y., 1801-03; U.S. Attorney for New York, 1801-03; member of Louisiana state house of representatives, 1820; U.S. Representative from Louisiana 1st District, 1823-29; U.S. Senator from Louisiana, 1829-31; U.S. Secretary of State, 1831-33; U.S. Minister to France, 1833-35. Died May 23, 1836. Original interment at at a private or family graveyard; reinterment somewhere in Rhinebeck, N.Y. Livingston counties in Ill., Mich. and Mo. are named for him.
- See also Livingston-Lee-Clay-Williams family
- See also: congressional biography; Wikipedia article; NNDB dossier.

Chatham Cemetery
Chatham, Columbia County, New York

Politicians buried here:

Sanford W. Smith (1869-1929) — of Chatham, Columbia County, N.Y. Born in Kinderhook, Columbia County, N.Y., August 19, 1869, reportedly in the same house where President Martin Van Buren was born in 1782. Republican. Lawyer; member of New York state assembly from Columbia County, 1901; member of New York state senate, 1906-08 (24th District 1906, 25th District 1907-08); Judge of New York Court of Claims, 1918-27; delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1924; Justice of New York Supreme Court 3rd District, 1928; appointed 1928. Member, Freemasons; Shriners; Knights of Pythias. Died, of a heart attack, in Chatham, Columbia County, N.Y., January 24, 1929. Interment at Chatham Cemetery.

Chatham Rural Cemetery
Chatham, Columbia County, New York

Politicians buried here:

Louis F. Payn (d. 1925) — of Chatham, Columbia County, N.Y. Republican. Founder of the Chatham Republican newspaper; delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, 1916. Died in 1925. Interment at Chatham Rural Cemetery.

Chatham Center Rural Cemetery
Chatham Center, Columbia County, New York

Politicians buried here:

Charles Dyer Beckwith (1838-1921) — also known as Charles D. Beckwith — of Paterson, Passaic County, N.J. Born near Coveville, Saratoga County, N.Y., October 22, 1838. Republican. Mayor of Paterson, N.J., 1887-88; U.S. Representative from New Jersey 5th District, 1889-91. Died near Chatham Center, Columbia County, N.Y., March 27, 1921. Interment at Chatham Center Rural Cemetery.
- See also: congressional biography.

Unknown Location
Claverack, Columbia County, New York

Politicians buried here:

William W. Van Ness (1776-1823) — of Hudson, Columbia County, N.Y. Born in Claverack, Columbia County, N.Y., 1776. Lawyer; member of New York state assembly from Columbia County, 1804-06; Justice of New York Supreme Court, 1807-21; delegate to New York state constitutional convention, 1821. Died in Charleston, Charleston County, S.C., February 27, 1823. Interment somewhere.

Hillsdale Rural Cemetery
Hillsdale, Columbia County, New York

Politicians buried here:

John Francis Collin (1802-1889) — also known as John F. Collin — of Hillsdale, Columbia County, N.Y. Born in Hillsdale, Columbia County, N.Y., April 30, 1802. Democrat. Member of New York state assembly from Columbia County, 1834; U.S. Representative from New York 11th District, 1845-47. Died in Hillsdale, Columbia County, N.Y., September 16, 1889. Interment at Hillsdale Rural Cemetery.
- See also: congressional biography.

Unknown Location
Hudson, Columbia County, New York

Politicians buried here:

Thomas Peabody Grosvenor (1778-1817) — also known as Thomas P. Grosvenor — of Columbia County, N.Y. Born in Connecticut, 1778. Member of New York state assembly from Columbia County, 1809-12; U.S. Representative from New York, 1813-17 (6th District 1813, 5th District 1813-17). Died in 1817. Interment somewhere.
- See also: congressional biography.

Hudson City Cemetery
Hudson, Columbia County, New York

Politicians buried here:

Kenneth Farrand Simpson (1895-1941) — also known as Kenneth F. Simpson — of Manhattan, New York County, N.Y. Born in New York, New York County, N.Y., May 4, 1895. Married 1922 to Helen Louise Knickerbacker Porter. Republican. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; chair of New York County Republican Party, 1935-40; delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1936, 1940; U.S. Representative from New York 17th District, 1941; died in office 1941. Member, Phi Beta Kappa; Skull and Bones; American Legion; Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Died, from a heart attack, in Manhattan, New York County, N.Y., January 25, 1941. Interment at Hudson City Cemetery.
- See also: congressional biography.
Killian Miller (1785-1859) — of Columbia County, N.Y. Born in New York, 1785. Member of New York state assembly from Columbia County, 1825, 1828; U.S. Representative from New York 12th District, 1855-57. Died in 1859. Interment at Hudson City Cemetery.
- See also: congressional biography.

Kinderhook Cemetery
Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York

Politicians buried here:

Martin Van Buren (1782-1862) — also known as "The Little Magician"; "Old Kinderhook"; "Red Fox of Kinderhook"; "Matty Van"; "American Talleyrand"; "Blue Whiskey Van" — of Kinderhook, Columbia County, N.Y. Born in Kinderhook, Columbia County, N.Y., December 5, 1782. Son of Abraham Van Buren and Maria Hoes (Van Alen) Van Buren; married to the sister-in-law of Moses I. Cantine; half-brother of James Isaac Van Alen; married, February 21, 1807, to Hannah Hoes (died 1819); father of John Van Buren. Lawyer; Columbia County Surrogate, 1808-13; member of New York state senate Middle District, 1812-20; New York state attorney general, 1815-19; appointed 1815; delegate to New York state constitutional convention, 1821; U.S. Senator from New York, 1821-28; Governor of New York, 1829; U.S. Secretary of State, 1829-31; U.S. Minister to Great Britain, 1831-32; Vice President of the United States, 1833-37; President of the United States, 1837-41; defeated, 1840 (Democratic), 1848 (Free Soil); candidate for Democratic nomination for President, 1844. Christian Reformed. Dutch ancestry. Died, reportedly due to asthma, but more likely some kind of heart failure, in Kinderhook, Columbia County, N.Y., July 24, 1862. Interment at Kinderhook Cemetery. Van Buren County, Ark., Van Buren County, Iowa, Van Buren County, Mich. and Van Buren County, Tenn. are named for him.
- Cross-reference: Sanford W. Smith
- See also Cantine-VanBuren family of New York
- See also: congressional biography; National Governors Association biography; Wikipedia article; NNDB dossier.
- Books about Martin Van Buren: Major L. Wilson, The Presidency of Martin Van Buren; Joel H. Silbey, Martin Van Buren and the Emergence of American Popular Politics; Jerome Mushkat & Robert G. Rayback, Martin Van Buren : Law, Politics, and the Shaping of Republican Ideology; John Niven, Martin Van Buren : The Romantic Age of American Politics; Ted Widmer, Martin Van Buren
Lewis Kirby Rockefeller (1877-1948) — also known as Lewis K. Rockefeller — of Hudson, Columbia County, N.Y.; Chatham, Columbia County, N.Y. Born in Schenectady, Schenectady County, N.Y., November 25, 1877. Son of Spencer R. Rockefeller and Nettie (Kirby) Rockefeller. Republican. Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1936; U.S. Representative from New York 27th District, 1937-43; chair of Columbia County Republican Party, 1937-40. Presbyterian. Member, Freemasons; Elks. Died in 1948. Interment at Kinderhook Cemetery.
- See also: congressional biography.
Peter Henry Silvester (1807-1882) — of New York. Born in New York, 1807. Grandson of Peter Silvester. U.S. Representative from New York 11th District, 1847-51. Died in 1882. Interment at Kinderhook Cemetery.
- See also: congressional biography.
James Isaac Van Alen (1776-1870) — also known as James I. Van Alen — of Kinderhook, Columbia County, N.Y. Born in New York, 1776. Half-brother of Martin Van Buren. Member of New York state assembly from Columbia County, 1803-04; U.S. Representative from New York 8th District, 1807-09. Died in 1870. Interment at Kinderhook Cemetery.
- See also Cantine-VanBuren family of New York
- See also: congressional biography.
John Hazard Reynolds (1819-1875) — also known as John H. Reynolds — of Albany, Albany County, N.Y. Born in New York, 1819. Republican. U.S. Representative from New York 14th District, 1859-61. Died in 1875. Interment at Kinderhook Cemetery.
- See also: congressional biography.
Charles Lewis Beale (1824-1900) — also known as Charles L. Beale — of Kinderhook, Columbia County, N.Y. Born in Canaan, Columbia County, N.Y., March 5, 1824. Republican. U.S. Representative from New York 12th District, 1859-61. Member, Kappa Alpha Society. Died in Hudson, Columbia County, N.Y., January 29, 1900. Interment at Kinderhook Cemetery.
- See also: congressional biography.

Reformed Dutch Church
Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York

Politicians buried here:

Peter Silvester (1734-1808) — of Columbia County, N.Y. Born in New York, 1734. Grandfather of Peter Henry Silvester. Member of New York state assembly from Columbia County, 1787-88, 1802-03, 1804-06; U.S. Representative from New York 5th District, 1789-93; member of New York state senate, 1796-1800 (Eastern District 1796-97, Middle District 1797-1800). Died in 1808. Interment at Reformed Dutch Church.
- See also: congressional biography.

Cemetery of the Evergreens
New Lebanon, Columbia County, New York
Location maps, from U.S. Census Tiger Map Server:

Politicians buried here:

Samuel Jones Tilden (1814-1886) — also known as Samuel J. Tilden; "The Great Reformer"; "The Great Forecloser" — of New York, New York County, N.Y. Born in New Lebanon, Columbia County, N.Y., February 9, 1814. Democrat. Member of New York state assembly, 1846, 1872; delegate to New York state constitutional convention, 1846; delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1864; New York Democratic state chair, 1872-82; Governor of New York, 1875-77; candidate for President of the United States, 1876. Died near Yonkers, Westchester County, N.Y., August 4, 1886. Interment at Cemetery of the Evergreens; statue at Riverside Park, Manhattan, N.Y.
- Cross-reference: John Bigelow
- See also: National Governors Association biography; Wikipedia article; NNDB dossier.
- Books about Samuel J. Tilden: Alexander C. Flick & Gustav Lobrano, Samuel Jones Tilden; William Severn, Samuel J. Tilden and the Stolen Election; William H. Rehnquist, Centennial Crisis : The Disputed Election of 1876
John King (1775-1836) — of New Lebanon, Columbia County, N.Y. Born in Canaan, Columbia County, N.Y., 1775. Democrat. Member of New York state assembly from Columbia County, 1824; U.S. Representative from New York 8th District, 1831-33. Died September 1, 1836. Interment at Cemetery of the Evergreens.
- See also: congressional biography.

St. John the Baptist Cemetery
Valatie, Columbia County, New York

Politicians buried here:

Burns Frances Barford, Sr. (1891-1958) — also known as Burns Barford — of Columbia County, N.Y. Born in Valatie, Columbia County, N.Y., September 8, 1891. Democrat. Candidate for New York state senate 28th District, 1924; Columbia County District Attorney, 1925. Died, of a heart attack, in Valatie, Columbia County, N.Y., November 1, 1958. Interment at St. John the Baptist Cemetery.

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Selected officials of Columbia County

Politicians who were born in Columbia County

Politicians who lived in Columbia County

Politicians who died in Columbia County

Cemeteries and Memorial Sites of Politicians in Columbia County