Van Rensselaer Richmond
Van Rensselaer Richmond(January 1812 inPreston,Chenango County, New York– November 20, 1883 inLyons,Wayne County, New York) was an Americancivil engineerand politician from New York.
Life[edit]
He was the son of Oliver Richmond (d. 1853). He was educated at theOxfordAcademy, and in 1834 began work as achainmanat the construction of theChenango Canal.In 1837 he married Anna A. Dennison (d. 1854), and they had four children.
In 1837, he was appointed Resident Engineer of theErie CanalatLyons, New York.In 1842, he was appointed Division Engineer of the Middle Division of the State Canals atSyracuse.In 1848, he resigned and began to work for theOswego and Syracuse Railroad,but soon after returned to canal work as Chief Engineer of the construction of the canal fromJordan, New Yorkto the Cayuga Marshes. In 1850 he left the canal works and became Division Engineer of theRochester and Syracuse Railroad.In 1852, he was appointed again Division Engineer of the Middle Division of the State Canals byWilliam J. McAlpine,was maintained in office byWhigState EngineerJohn T. Clark,but was removed in 1856 by theAmerican Partymajority of the Canal Board.
He wasNew York State Engineer and Surveyorfrom 1858 to 1861, and from 1868 to 1871, elected four times on theDemocraticticket.
He died from a "sudden stroke ofapoplexy."on November 20, 1883 inLyons, New York.[1]
His son Dennison Richmond (ca. 1842-1888) was also Division Engineer of the Middle Division.[2]
References[edit]
- ^"The Hon. Van Rensselaer Richmond"(PDF).New York Times.November 22, 1883.Retrieved2012-10-10.
The Hon. Van Rensselaer Richmond died Tuesday night at his home in Lyons, N.Y.
- ^"Dennison Richmond, division engineer"(PDF).New York Times.October 5, 1888.Retrieved2012-10-10.
Dennison Richmond, division engineer of the Middle Division of the state canalas...
- [1]Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and Members of the Legislature in the State of New York in 1859by Wm. D. Murphy (pages 29ff; C. Van Benthuysen, Albany NY, 1859)