(21 June 1746 – 24 August 1833) Lawyer, delegate to the Continental Congress (but did not attend), and member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Benson was selected by the state legislature to join Hamilton as New York’s delegation to the Annapolis Convention of 1786. He served in the First Congress as a member of the House of Representatives and was appointed to the New York Supreme Court in 1794.

(17 December 1734 – 04 August 1821) Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Congressman, and estate owner. He held several positions within the militia and was elected to the first Continental Congress. Floyd was also a financier, lending money at interest. His family estate was worked by free labour and by eleven slaves. ['William Floyd', American National Biography]

(January 9, 1749 – February 19, 1825) Continental Army officer, surveyor, and U.S. Representative. Hathorn served on the New York State Assembly, where he eventually gained the title of Speaker, and the New York State Senate. Although elected to the Confederation Congress, he did not attend, because soon after his election, it was disbanded. Shortly thereafter, Hathorn was elected as an Anti-Administration candidate to the First Congress and later as a Republican candidate to the Fourth Congress. He also engaged in mercantile pursuits throughout his life. [‘John Hathorn’, Wikipedia]

Senator

(1750 – 11 November 1810) Laywer, land speculator, and member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Veteran of the Continental Army, Laurance served throughout the American Revolution. He attended the Continental Congress and was appointed Judge of the U.S. District Court of New York. Laurence was also a keen land speculator and investor. Later on in life, he served as director of the Bank of the U.S. as well as its New York branch. [Source: ‘Laurance, John’, American National Biography]]

(10 November 1733–18 November 1804) General in the American Revolution and a U.S. Senator. Schuyler served as a member of the Second Continental Congress and was appointed a major general of the Continental Army. He served as a state senator, state surveyor general, and a U.S. senator. He advocated for expanding the powers of the central government. Schuyler’s household included between nine and twenty-seven slaves. As none were mentioned in his will, it appears that by 1803, all of them had been freed or sold. [Source: ‘Schuyler, Philip John’, American National Biography, available at https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0100812]

(10 November 1733–18 November 1804) General in the American Revolution and a U.S. Senator. Schuyler served as a member of the Second Continental Congress and was appointed a major general of the Continental Army. He served as a state senator, state surveyor general, and a U.S. senator. He advocated for expanding the powers of the central government. Schuyler’s household included between nine and twenty-seven slaves. As none were mentioned in his will, it appears that by 1803, all of them had been freed or sold. [Source: ‘Schuyler, Philip John’, American National Biography, available at https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0100812]

(1734 – 15 October 1808) Member of the U.S. Senate, lawyer, and mentor to Martin Van Buren. During the American Revolutionary War, he held a variety of political positions in New York, such as member of the First and Second Provincial Congresses. After the war, he was appointed judge of the court of common pleas of Columbia County, New York, and served as the regent of the University of the State of New York. He would later go on to serve in the New York State Legislature, the first and second United States Congresses, and the New York State Senate.

(27 August 1738 – 19 February 1810) Land agent, merchant, surveyor, U.S. Representative. Member of the prominent Van Rensselaer family, Jeremiah Van Rensselaer served as Congressman of the U.S. House of Representatives for one term. He was then a member of the New York State Assembly, on the board of the Bank of Albany, and an elector in the 1800 presidential election, in which he voted for Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. Shortly thereafter, Van Rensselaer became Lieutenant Governor of New York. [‘Jeremiah Van Rensselaer’, Wikipedia]