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| Richard P. Hart from History of Rensselaer County |
Richard
Philip Hart, the second child of Philip and Susannah (Akin) Hart was born in
Hart's Village, Dutchess County, New York on February 11, 1780. He went to work for
his brother-in-law, Jacob Merritt, husband of his sister Mary, in Troy, New
York. From there, he became a business man in his own right, making a great
deal of money selling supplies to the U.S. Army and Navy during the War of
1812. This was in the tradition of his father Philip supplying the blue
cloth for the uniforms of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. Richard
went on to amass a fortune in banking, railroad, real estate, and other
industries. Interestingly, Richard P. (as he was always known), was elected to
the New York State Assembly for the 1820 to 1821 session as the representative
for Rensselaer County. His first cousin, and my three times great grandfather,
Stephen Hart, was also elected to the New York State Assembly for the same
term, but from Lewis County. This was the only term either man ever served in
state government. As Richard benefited commercially from the construction of the Erie Canal, the terminus of which was close to Troy, I imagine that he was likely of the same party as the governor of New York State, Dewitt Clinton, the driving force behind the canal's construction. Richard's brothers Philip Hart Jr., Jacob Akin Hart, William Hart, and Isaac B. Hart, were also a part of the political and economic development of the City of Troy, but none to the extent of Richard.
Richard
P. Hart first married Phebe Bloom on January 10, 1800, and had a daughter Phebe
Bloom Hart, born in 1800, who died at the age of twelve. The mother passed away on May 9, 1801. He then married Delia Maria Dole on February 10, 1805, who died five months later of
tuberculosis. His marital fortunes were to change when he married his first
cousin once removed, Betsey Amelia Howard, on February 10, 1816, daughter of
his first cousin William Howard and Rebecca French (White) Howard. (William was
the son of Richard's aunt Phebe Hart Howard). Betsey was born December 9, 1798
in Dutchess County. They had fourteen children: Mary Amelia, Harriette Howard,
Phebe Bloom, William Howard, Elizabeth H., Jane Rebecca, Richard, Joseph Moss,
Susan, Caroline, Julia Ann, Frances, Sarah Wool, and Austin Spencer.
Richard
and Amelia lived in a mansion in the city of Troy, which was built for them in
1827 as a wedding gift from her father to the couple. It still stands today,
referred to as the Hart-Cluett
House, and is the home of the Rensselaer County Historical Society and
museum.
Richard
was the mayor of the city of Troy from 1836 to 1838. In 1837 he helped quell
the St. Patrick’s Day Riot in that city, which had started with a group of men
hanging St. Patrick in effigy to insult the local Irish people. He went to the
scene of the riot and ordered the crowd to disperse. He later ordered in the
Citizens’ Corps, the local militia. Their entry into the fray “caused the
participants to retire without compulsion”. One newspaper account described how
the “Mayor and Recorder” “acted with great decision—were personally in the
midst of the disturbances—and in several instances seized and handed over to
the watchmen with their own hands, those who were turbulent, insolent or
riotage”.
Richard
was also a patron of the arts and sciences in the city of Troy. He was a founding
trustee of both the Troy Polytechnic Institute, the Troy Female Seminary, and
the Troy Lyceum of Natural History. He was also a lover of literature and
attending many lectures. His charitable interests also included the Troy Orphan
Asylum.
While
Betsey and the children were travelling in Europe, Richard was the victim of a
terrible accident. He had been home with a bad cold, and was taking a “vapor
bath”, when apparently the curtain around the bath caught on fire. A newspaper
story states that a servant threw some liquid on him, thinking it was water,
which turned out to be alcohol. He died related to his burns on December 27,
1843.
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