Representative Gerrit Yates Lansing

Gerrit Yates Lansing (August 4, 1783 – January 3, 1862) was an American lawyer and politician who served three terms as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1831 to 1837. He was born in Albany, New York, on August 4, 1783, the third of sixteen children of Susanna (Yates) Lansing and Abraham G. Lansing, who served as New York State Treasurer. Through his family connections he was closely linked to prominent figures in New York’s political life: he was a nephew of John Lansing Jr., a noted jurist and statesman, and a grandson of Abraham Yates on his mother’s side. His younger sister, Susan Yates Lansing, later became the second wife of Peter Gansevoort, son of Revolutionary War General Peter Gansevoort, in 1843, further tying the family to influential New York lineages.

Lansing pursued classical studies in his youth and entered Union College in Schenectady, New York, from which he was graduated in 1800. After completing his collegiate education, he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1804, and commenced legal practice in Albany. His early legal career unfolded in the context of a family already deeply engaged in public service, and his training in the law provided the foundation for his subsequent roles in state government and the judiciary.

Early in his professional life, Lansing entered public service as private secretary to Morgan Lewis, the third Governor of New York. In this capacity he gained experience in the workings of state administration and politics. He went on to serve as Clerk of the New York State Assembly in 1807, an important administrative position that placed him at the center of legislative activity. Continuing his judicial and legal career, he was appointed judge of the Albany County probate court, serving from 1816 to 1823, where he oversaw matters relating to estates and wills during a period of growth and change in the region.

Lansing’s interest in education and public institutions was reflected in his long association with the University of the State of New York. In 1829 he was elected a regent of the University, the body responsible for oversight of education in the state, and he served in that capacity for the remainder of his life. On October 31, 1842, he was appointed chancellor of the Board of Regents, the highest office within the body, and he continued as chancellor until his death. His long tenure as regent and chancellor underscored his influence on educational policy and institutional development in New York over several decades.

Lansing entered national politics as a member of the Jackson Party, also known as the Jacksonian Democrats, during a formative era in American political history. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-second, Twenty-third, and Twenty-fourth Congresses, serving as a U.S. Representative from New York from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1837. During his three terms in Congress he participated in the legislative process at a time marked by debates over federal power, banking, and internal improvements, representing the interests of his New York constituents within the broader Jacksonian movement. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1836 and, upon the conclusion of his service in the House of Representatives, he returned to the practice of law in Albany.

In addition to his legal and political work, Lansing held leadership roles in the financial institutions of his native city. He served as president of the Albany Savings Bank from 1854 until his death, overseeing the institution during a period of expanding banking services. He also became president of the Albany Insurance Company in 1859 and remained in that position until his death, reflecting the trust placed in him by the city’s business and civic community.

On the personal front, Lansing married Helen Ten Eyck (1787–1838) in March 1808. She was the daughter of Abraham Ten Eyck (1744–1824) and Annatje (née Lansing) Ten Eyck (1746–1823), uniting two established Albany families. The couple’s children included Charles Bridgen Lansing (1809–1890), who married Catherine Clinton Townsend, daughter of Albany Mayor John Townsend and Abby (née Spencer) Townsend, and, after her death, married her sister Abby Townsend; Jane Ann Lansing (1811–1886), who married Robert Hewson Pruyn, later U.S. Minister to Japan, in 1841; Susan Yates Lansing (1816–1911), who died unmarried; and Abraham Gerrit Lansing, who died unmarried in 1824. Through these connections, Lansing’s family remained intertwined with the political, diplomatic, and civic leadership of New York.

Gerrit Yates Lansing died in Albany, New York, on January 3, 1862. He was interred at Albany Rural Cemetery, leaving behind a record of service as a lawyer, judge, legislator, educational leader, and banking and insurance executive, and a legacy closely associated with the civic and political life of Albany and the State of New York.