Robert Troup
Encyclopedia
Robert Troup was an American soldier, lawyer and jurist.
Born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey
, Troup attended King's College (now Columbia University
). At King's he was the roommate of Alexander Hamilton
and read law under John Jay
.
At the start of the American Revolutionary War
, he joined the Continental Army
, serving from 1776 to 1780 and obtaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Serving under General Nathaniel Woodhull
he was captured by the British near Brooklyn during the Battle of Long Island
on August 27, 1776 and confined to the Jersey Prison Ship
. He was later transferred to the Provost prison until he was exchanged in 1777. He was an aide to General Horatio Gates
and participated in the Surrender of General Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga
on October 17, 1777. He is depicted in the painting of the Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga by John Trumbull
.
from 1782 to 1783, and in New York City
from 1784 to 1796. He was a member of the New York State Assembly
in 1786. From 1789 to 1796, he served as Clerk of Court of the District of New York until he was nominated by President George Washington
, on December 9, 1796, to fill the judicial seat vacated by John Laurance
. Confirmed by the United States Senate
on December 10, 1796, Troup received his commission the same day and served as a Judge in the District of New York until his resignation on April 4, 1798. He then returned to private practice in New York City.
In 1801, Troup was appointed general agent managing the Pultney Estate
, which had purchased land rights to large portions of upstate New York. The town of Troupsburg, New York
was named after him. The town of Charlotte
north of the city of Rochester, New York
was named by Troup in honor of his daughter.
, who had been his King's College roommate, served with him in the Hearts of Oak
militia unit, and supported him in politics. Hamilton and Troup were later founding members of New York Manumission Society
promoting the abolition
of the slavery
in New York, although Troup himself owned slaves.
Robert Troup died January 14, 1832 in New York, NY. He was originally buried at St. Andrew's, however, after the death of his daughter Charlotte in 1872, his body was moved to Green-Wood Cemetery
in Brooklyn
.
Born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Troup attended King's College (now Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
). At King's he was the roommate of Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
and read law under John Jay
John Jay
John Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Chief Justice of the United States ....
.
Military service
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, he joined the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
, serving from 1776 to 1780 and obtaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Serving under General Nathaniel Woodhull
Nathaniel Woodhull
General Nathaniel Woodhull was a leader of the New York Provincial Congress and a brigadier-general of the New York Militia during the American Revolution. He was born on December 30, 1722 in Mastic, Long Island, Province of New York, the son of Nathaniel Woodhull and Sarah Smith...
he was captured by the British near Brooklyn during the Battle of Long Island
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
on August 27, 1776 and confined to the Jersey Prison Ship
HMS Jersey (1736)
HMS Jersey was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment of dimensions at Plymouth Dockyard, and launched on 14 June 1736. She is perhaps most noted for her service as a prison ship during the American Revolutionary War.-Early...
. He was later transferred to the Provost prison until he was exchanged in 1777. He was an aide to General Horatio Gates
Horatio Gates
Horatio Lloyd Gates was a retired British soldier who served as an American general during the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga – Benedict Arnold, who led the attack, was finally forced from the field when he was shot in the leg – and...
and participated in the Surrender of General Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga
Battle of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga conclusively decided the fate of British General John Burgoyne's army in the American War of Independence and are generally regarded as a turning point in the war. The battles were fought eighteen days apart on the same ground, south of Saratoga, New York...
on October 17, 1777. He is depicted in the painting of the Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga by John Trumbull
John Trumbull
John Trumbull was an American artist during the period of the American Revolutionary War and was notable for his historical paintings...
.
Post-war career
Troup was appointed by Congress as Secretary of the Board of War in 1778 and Secretary of the Board of Treasury from 1779 to 1780. He maintained a private law practice in Albany, New YorkAlbany, 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...
from 1782 to 1783, and 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...
from 1784 to 1796. He was a member of the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
in 1786. From 1789 to 1796, he served as Clerk of Court of the District of New York until he was nominated by President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, on December 9, 1796, to fill the judicial seat vacated by John Laurance
John Laurance
John Laurance was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:He emigrated to the United States in 1767 and settled in New York City where he read law and entered private practice in 1772. At the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, he was a warm adherent of the revolutionaries...
. Confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on December 10, 1796, Troup received his commission the same day and served as a Judge in the District of New York until his resignation on April 4, 1798. He then returned to private practice in New York City.
In 1801, Troup was appointed general agent managing the Pultney Estate
The Pulteney Association
The Pulteney Association was a purchaser in 1792 of a large portion of the Western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. The Pulteney Associates were British investors: nine-twelfths was owned by Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet , a Scottish lawyer; two-twelfths by William...
, which had purchased land rights to large portions of upstate New York. The town of Troupsburg, New York
Troupsburg, New York
Troupsburg is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Robert Troup, an agent of the Pulteney Estate....
was named after him. The town of Charlotte
Charlotte, Rochester, New York
Charlotte is a neighborhood in Rochester, New York located at the mouth of the Genesee River along Lake Ontario. It is the home of the Port of Rochester and Charlotte High School.-Early Settlers:...
north of the city of Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
was named by Troup in honor of his daughter.
Associations
Robert Troup was a personal friend of Alexander HamiltonAlexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
, who had been his King's College roommate, served with him in the Hearts of Oak
Hearts of Oak (New York militia)
The Hearts of Oak were a volunteer militia in the British colonial Province of New York as part of the Thirteen Colonies. Formed c. 1775 in New York City, among its members were students at King's College such as Nicholas Fish, Robert Troup, and perhaps most famously, Alexander Hamilton...
militia unit, and supported him in politics. Hamilton and Troup were later founding members of New York Manumission Society
New York Manumission Society
The New York Manumission Society was an early American organization founded in 1785 to promote the abolition of the slavery of African descendants within the state of New York. The organization was made up entirely of white men, most of whom were wealthy and held influential positions in society...
promoting the abolition
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
of the slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in New York, although Troup himself owned slaves.
Family
Troup married Jennet Goelet and had four children; Charles, Robert, Charlotte, and Louisa. Both of Troup's sons died before him. His daughter Charlotte married James Lefferts Brinckerhoff and had two daughters; Charlotte and Maria Louisa.Robert Troup died January 14, 1832 in New York, NY. He was originally buried at St. Andrew's, however, after the death of his daughter Charlotte in 1872, his body was moved to Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.