Representative Henry Roelif Brinkerhoff

Henry Roelif Brinkerhoff (September 23, 1787 – April 30, 1844) was an American soldier, farmer, state legislator, and Democratic politician who served part of one term as a U.S. Representative from Ohio before his death in office in 1844. A veteran of the War of 1812 and a senior officer in the New York State Militia, he was also a cousin of Jacob Brinkerhoff, who later served in Congress from Ohio.

Brinkerhoff was born in Adams County, Pennsylvania, on September 23, 1787. In 1793 he moved with his parents to Cayuga County, New York, which was then part of the expanding western frontier of the state. He attended the local country schools, receiving a basic education typical of rural communities of the period. As a young man he took up agricultural pursuits, establishing himself as a farmer, an occupation he would continue to follow throughout much of his life.

During the War of 1812, Brinkerhoff entered military service in the New York militia. He commanded a company of militia and distinguished himself at the Battle of Queenstown Heights (often rendered as Queenston Heights) in October 1812, one of the early and significant engagements along the Niagara frontier. His performance in the war contributed to his subsequent rise in the state militia. By 1824 he had attained the rank of senior major general of the New York State Militia, reflecting both his military experience and his standing in the community. In this capacity he commanded the military escort that accompanied General Lafayette during the French hero’s celebrated tour through New York State in the mid-1820s, a prominent ceremonial duty that underscored Brinkerhoff’s prominence in state military affairs.

Brinkerhoff’s public career extended into civil office in New York. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1828 and 1829, participating in the legislative work of the state during a period of rapid economic and political change. While in New York he continued to be engaged in agriculture, combining his farming interests with his responsibilities in both the militia and the legislature.

In 1837 Brinkerhoff moved west to Huron County, Ohio, joining the broader migration of settlers into the Old Northwest. He resumed agricultural pursuits there and became involved in local affairs, aligning himself with the Democratic Party. His military reputation, legislative experience in New York, and standing as a farmer in his new community helped to establish his political base in Ohio.

Brinkerhoff was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth Congress and represented Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives. He took his seat on March 4, 1843, and served until his death on April 30, 1844, in Huron County, Ohio, thus completing only part of his first term in Congress. His service placed him among the members of the United States Congress who died in office during the nineteenth century. He was interred in Pioneer Cemetery in Plymouth, Ohio.