Peter van Schaack was an American lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

, born in Kinderhook, New York. His ancestors were settlers. He studied law at Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 under Willam Smith.

Van Schaack was a strong loyalist, who at first agreed with and supported the colonists' complaints. He then started to disagree with them and became opposed to the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

. He founded his opposition in a belief that the colonies

Thirteen Colonies

The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...

 were part of the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

, that Parliament had the authority to pass laws, and that Britain had the right to collect taxes. He thought that every man shounld live their lives under the British control. He also believed that the colonies cannot function without British rule. He thought that the colonies needed the protection of Great Britain in order to survive. He believed that Britain's Protection was best for the general good of the colonies because of Great Britain's military and economic strength. He believed that if the colonies became independent they would fight among themselves over their new form of government.

In the time of the Revolutionary war he opposed the war. He left the country for Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

in 1778, and lived there for seven years. He returned to America, and to practising law. He died in Kinderhook in September 1832.