Rensselaer Westerlo was a United States Representative from New York.

He was born at the Van Rensselaer Manor House in Albany

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

 as the son of Catherine Livingston (1745–1810, daughter of Philip Livingston

Philip Livingston

Philip Livingston was an American merchant and statesman from New York City. He was a delegate for New York to the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1778, and signed the Declaration of Independence.-Family history:...

, and mother of Stephen Van Rensselaer III

Stephen Van Rensselaer III

Stephen Van Rensselaer III was Lieutenant Governor of New York as well as a statesman, soldier, and land-owner, the heir to one of the largest estates in the New York region at the time, which made him the tenth richest American of all time, based on the ratio of his fortune to contemporary GDP...

) and her second husband Eilardus Westerlo (1738–1790)

Eilardus Westerlo (1738-1790)

Eilardus Westerlo, born in Groningen, raised in Denekamp, and educated at the grammar school in Oldenzaal and the University of Groningen, only held one full-time job in his entire life, as pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany, from October 1760 until December 1790...

. He graduated from Columbia College in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, in 1795. He studied law, was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

, and practiced. On May 5, 1805, he married Jane Lansing, daughter of Chancellor John Lansing, Jr.

John Lansing, Jr.

John Ten Eyck Lansing, Jr. , was an American lawyer and politician. He was the uncle of Gerrit Y. Lansing.-Career:...

. His sister Catherine Westerlo was married to John Woodworth

John Woodworth (lawyer)

John Woodworth was an American lawyer and member of the Woodworth political family.-Life:...

.

Westerlo was elected as a Federalist

Federalist Party (United States)

The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...

 to the Fifteenth Congress

15th United States Congress

-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Daniel D. Tompkins * President pro tempore:** John Gaillard , elected March 4, 1817** James Barbour , elected February 15, 1819- House of Representatives :*Speaker: Henry Clay -Members:...

 (March 4, 1817-March 3, 1819). He was not a candidate for reelection and resumed the practice of law. He died in Albany, New York, April 18, 1851 and was interred in the Albany Rural Cemetery

Albany Rural Cemetery

The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Menands, New York, just outside of the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the United States, at over . Many historical American figures are buried there.-History:On April 2,...

.

Source

• http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/historical/southernnewyork/s_ny_1.htm Van Rensselaer genealogy and history