Jacob Radcliff

He was born on April 20, 1764, in Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York. He graduated from Princeton University in 1783 and practiced law under Egbert Benson, the first New York Attorney General. He was admitted to the bar in 1786, and about the same time, he married Juliana Smith, the daughter of Cotton Mather Smith and granddaughter of Cotton Mather.[1] While practicing law in Poughkeepsie, he was a member of the New York State Assembly (Dutchess Co.) in 1795 and was one of the twelve members of the Joint Committee on Elections of the Senate and Assembly of New York. He was appointed Assistant Attorney General on February 23, 1796.

On December 27, 1798, he became a justice of the New York Supreme Court. In this position he helped revise the state's laws. He resigned from the bench in 1804, and practiced chancery law in Brooklyn. When the Federalist Party gained the majority in 1810, Radcliff was appointed mayor of New York City. When the War of 1812 divided the Federalist party, Radcliff aligned with the Tammany Society, which was poised to gain a majority in state politics. Grand Sachem of Tammany Hall John Ferguson became mayor in 1815 but resigned to take the appointment of Surveyor of the Port of New York. Radcliff was chosen as his replacement.

He died in Troy, New York on May 6, 1844.[2]