American jurist, born in Schenectady, NY, on the 17th of March 1738. He was educated and studied law in New York City, where he was admitted to the bar in 1760. He settled in Albany; was a member of the provincial congress in 1775, and of the Committee of Safety in 1776; assisted in drafting the first constitution of the state of New York, and was chief justice of the state supreme court from 1790 to 1798. After the adoption of the constitution of the United States—which measure he opposed in the state convention—he was appointed commissioner to treat with Connecticut and Massachusetts concerning territory in dispute. He also was instrumental in settling the claims of New York against the state of Vermont. He died in Albany on the 9th of September 1801.
