Representative James Isaac Van Alen

James Isaac Van Alen (December 31, 1772 – May 18, 1822) was an American politician and lawyer from Kinderhook, New York. A Democratic-Republican, he served as a United States representative, a member of the New York State Assembly, and Surrogate Judge of Columbia County, New York. Van Alen was law partners with U.S. President Martin Van Buren, his younger half-brother, and as a member of the Republican (Democratic-Republican) Party representing New York, he contributed to the legislative process during one term in the United States Congress.

Van Alen was born in Kinderhook, New York, on December 31, 1772, to Johannes Van Alen (1744–1773) and Marytje Goes (or Hoes) Van Alen (1748–1817). He was christened Jacobus Van Alen on January 1, 1773, at the Dutch Reformed Church in Kinderhook, reflecting his family’s Dutch heritage and the strong Dutch Reformed presence in the Hudson Valley. He had two full siblings, Marytje (or Maria) Van Alen and John Isaac Van Alen. His father died when he was still an infant, and in 1776 his mother married Abraham Van Buren. Through this second marriage, Van Alen became the elder half-brother of five more children: Dirckie “Derike” Van Buren, Jannetje (called “Hannah” or “Jane”) Van Buren, future U.S. President Martin Van Buren, Lawrence Van Buren, and Abraham Van Buren Jr. This blended family would later form part of the political and legal network that shaped early nineteenth-century New York.

Van Alen attended the common schools of Kinderhook, receiving the basic education typical of rural New York in the post-Revolutionary era. He subsequently studied law, a profession that offered one of the principal avenues to public life in the early republic. After completing his legal training, he was admitted to the bar in 1794. He began practicing law in Kinderhook, where his legal work and family connections soon brought him into partnership with his younger half-brother Martin Van Buren, who would later become the eighth President of the United States. Their law practice in Kinderhook placed both men at the center of local legal affairs and helped establish their reputations in Columbia County and beyond.

In addition to his legal career, Van Alen quickly became active in local public service and business affairs. From 1797 to 1801, he served as Town Clerk of Kinderhook, a position that involved maintaining municipal records and overseeing various aspects of town administration. He also participated in local economic development, serving as secretary of the board of directors for the Chatham Turnpike Corporation, which was involved in the construction and management of a turnpike intended to improve transportation and commerce in the region. These roles reflected his growing prominence in community affairs and his engagement with the infrastructure and governance of Columbia County.

Van Alen’s political career advanced at the state level in the early 1800s. In 1801, he was a member of the New York State constitutional convention, which met to consider and revise aspects of the state’s governing framework. That same year he was appointed a justice of the peace, serving from 1801 to 1804, a position that combined minor judicial responsibilities with local administrative duties. In 1804, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, where he participated in the legislative work of the state government. Concurrently, he was appointed surrogate judge of Columbia County in 1804, serving in that capacity until 1808. As surrogate judge, he presided over probate matters, wills, and estates, an important judicial function in a largely agrarian society where property and inheritance were central concerns.

Van Alen entered national politics when he was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Tenth Congress. He succeeded Henry W. Livingston and represented New York in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1807, to March 3, 1809. His term in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, marked by rising tensions with Great Britain and France and debates over trade restrictions and national policy in the years leading up to the War of 1812. As a member of the Republican (Democratic-Republican) Party, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his New York constituents in the federal legislature. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1808, and John Thompson succeeded him in the House of Representatives.

After leaving Congress, Van Alen returned to his legal and judicial work in Columbia County. He resumed the office of surrogate judge of Columbia County in 1815 and held that position until his death in 1822. In this second tenure as surrogate, he continued to oversee probate and estate matters, reinforcing his long-standing role in the county’s judicial system. Upon his death, he was succeeded in the surrogate’s office by his half-brother Abraham A. Van Buren, further underscoring the Van Buren–Van Alen family’s continued influence in local public life.

James Isaac Van Alen never married and had no children. He spent his life largely in and around Kinderhook, maintaining close ties to the community where he was born. He died in Kinderhook on May 18, 1822, at the age of 49. Van Alen was buried in Kinderhook Cemetery, where his grave marks the resting place of a lawyer, legislator, and judge who participated in the political and legal development of early nineteenth-century New York and the United States.