Simon Newton Dexter
Encyclopedia
Simon Newton Dexter was an American merchant and politician from New York
.
goods.
He matriculated at Brown University
, but soon left that institution to engage in business in Boston
. In 1815, he removed to Whitesboro, and in 1817 took part in the construction of a section of the Erie Canal
. From 1824 to 1829, he was engaged in the construction of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
.
On returning to Whitesboro he became agent of the Oriskany Manufacturing Company, and in 1832 assumed charge of the Dexter Company. He was also largely interested in manufactures elsewhere in the State of New York and in Elgin, Illinois
.
In 1840, he was elected by the New York State Legislature one of the canal commissioners
, and remained in office until 1842 when the new Democratic majority removed the Whig commissioners.
He was a trustee of Hamilton College, and for several years supported a professorship, giving the College in all about $32,000. He was President of the Whitestown Bank from 1833 to 1853, and Manager of the State Lunatic Asylum at Utica
from 1849 to 1862.
His papers are in the Cornell University
Library.
The Village of Dexter
, in Jefferson County, New York
, was named after him.
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Samuel Dexter
was his uncle.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Life
He was the son of Andrew Dexter, the first American manufacturer of cottonCotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
goods.
He matriculated at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, but soon left that institution to engage in business in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In 1815, he removed to Whitesboro, and in 1817 took part in the construction of a section of the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
. From 1824 to 1829, he was engaged in the construction of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is a 14-mile long, 450-foot wide and 40-foot deep ship canal that cuts across the states of Maryland and Delaware, in the United States. It connects the waters of the Delaware River with those of the Chesapeake Bay and the Port of Baltimore...
.
On returning to Whitesboro he became agent of the Oriskany Manufacturing Company, and in 1832 assumed charge of the Dexter Company. He was also largely interested in manufactures elsewhere in the State of New York and in Elgin, Illinois
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
.
In 1840, he was elected by the New York State Legislature one of the canal commissioners
Erie Canal Commission
The New York State Legislature appointed in 1810 a Commission to Explore a Route for a Canal to Lake Erie, and Report which became known as the Erie Canal Commission...
, and remained in office until 1842 when the new Democratic majority removed the Whig commissioners.
He was a trustee of Hamilton College, and for several years supported a professorship, giving the College in all about $32,000. He was President of the Whitestown Bank from 1833 to 1853, and Manager of the State Lunatic Asylum at Utica
Utica Psychiatric Center
The Utica Psychiatric Center, also known as Utica State Hospital, which opened in Utica in 1843, was New York's first state-run facility designed to care for the mentally ill and was one of the first such institutions in the United States, predating and perhaps influencing the Kirkbride Plan which...
from 1849 to 1862.
His papers are in the Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
Library.
The Village of Dexter
Dexter, New York
Dexter is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,120 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from Simon Newton Dexter, one of the village's stockholders....
, in Jefferson County, New York
Jefferson County, New York
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,229. It is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, and president at the time the county was created in 1805...
, was named after him.
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Samuel Dexter
Samuel Dexter
Samuel Dexter was an early American statesman who served both in Congress and in the Presidential Cabinet.-Life:Born in Boston, Massachusetts, to the Rev. Samuel Dexter, the 4th minister of Dedham, he graduated from Harvard University in 1781 and then studied law at Worcester under Levi Lincoln,...
was his uncle.
Sources
- famousamericans.net/simonnewtondexter/ Bio from Appleton's Encyclopedia
- http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9404E0D6163DE433A25751C2A9649C94689ED7CF Obit of his grandson Newton Dexter (1848-1899) in NYT on February 22, 1899
- http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/RMM00753.html Guide to the Simon Newton Dexter Papers
- http://marcmny.tripod.com/jeffco2.htm History of Jefferson County, NY
- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (page 42; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)