Moss K. Platt
Encyclopedia
Moss Kent Platt was an American merchant and politician from New York
.
) and Hannah Kent (sister of Chancellor James Kent
).
On October 14, 1830, he married Elizabeth S. Freligh (1810-1856), and they had four daughters, and one son: John Freligh Platt (1837-1858) who died while a senior at Williams College
.
In 1847, he began the manufacture of iron near the Saranac
river from iron ore mined west of Plattsburgh. He built plank roads to connect the iron works with the city and with Clinton State Prison
, and employed the prison inmates to work in his plant.
In 1852, he built a railroad from Plattsburgh to the Canadian border which connected the city with Montréal
. After his first wife's death, he married on May 20, 1858, her half-sister Margaret Anne Freligh (1814-1908).
He was a Republican member of the New York State Senate
(16th District) from 1866 to 1867. In 1868, he ran for presidential elector on the Ulysses S. Grant
ticket, but New York was won by Democrat Horatio Seymour
. In 1873
, he was elected an Inspector of State Prisons
, and died in office.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Life
He was the son of William Pitt Platt (1771-1835, son of Zephaniah PlattZephaniah Platt
Zephaniah Platt was an American politician and lawyer, and founder of the U.S. town of Plattsburgh, New York....
) and Hannah Kent (sister of Chancellor James Kent
James Kent
James Kent was an American jurist and legal scholar.-Life:...
).
On October 14, 1830, he married Elizabeth S. Freligh (1810-1856), and they had four daughters, and one son: John Freligh Platt (1837-1858) who died while a senior at Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
.
In 1847, he began the manufacture of iron near the Saranac
Saranac River
Saranac River is an river in the U.S. state of New York. In its upper reaches is a region of mostly flat water and lakes. The river has more than three dozen source lakes and ponds north of Upper Saranac Lake; the highest is Mountain Pond on Long Pond Mountain...
river from iron ore mined west of Plattsburgh. He built plank roads to connect the iron works with the city and with Clinton State Prison
Clinton Correctional Facility
Clinton Correctional Facility is a New York State Department of Correctional Services state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York. The prison itself is sometimes colloquially referred to as Dannemora, although its actual name is derived from its location in Clinton County,...
, and employed the prison inmates to work in his plant.
In 1852, he built a railroad from Plattsburgh to the Canadian border which connected the city with Montréal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. After his first wife's death, he married on May 20, 1858, her half-sister Margaret Anne Freligh (1814-1908).
He was a Republican member of the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
(16th District) from 1866 to 1867. In 1868, he ran for presidential elector on the Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
ticket, but New York was won by Democrat Horatio Seymour
Horatio Seymour
Horatio Seymour was an American politician. He was the 18th Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in the presidential election of 1868, but lost the election to Republican and former Union General of...
. In 1873
New York state election, 1873
The 1873 New York state election was held on November 4, 1873, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the...
, he was elected an Inspector of State Prisons
New York State Prison Inspector
The Inspector of State Prisons was a statewide elective office created by the New York State Constitution of 1846. At the New York state election, 1847, three Inspectors were elected and then, upon taking office, so classified that henceforth every year one Inspector would be elected to a...
, and died in office.
Sources
- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1867; pages 444 and 447)
- Google Book Life Sketches of State Officers, Senators, and Members of Assembly in the State of New York in 1867 by S. R. Harlow and H. H. Boone (pages 138f; Weed, Parsons & Co., Albany NY, 1867)
- THE SYRACUSE CONVENTION in NYT on July 9, 1868 [gives erroneously "Moses R. Platt"]
- http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hubbard/NNY_index/platt.html Platt genealogy, at RootsWeb