Samuel Riker
Encyclopedia
Samuel Riker was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives
from New York
. He was born on April 8, 1743 in Newtown
, Long Island
, New York
into a family of Dutch origin. His great-grandfather Abraham Ryker http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp (1619–1689) was born in the Netherlands
and settled in New Netherland
. Samuel Riker attended the common schools, was a member of the Newtown committee of correspondence in 1774, and was supervisor of Suffolk County
in 1783. He was the lieutenant
of Light Horse during the American Revolution
.
Samuel Riker was a member of the New York State Assembly
in 1784. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican
to the Eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Smith
. He served from November 5, 1804 to March 3, 1805. He was also elected to the Tenth Congress, which met from March 4, 1807 to March 3, 1809. He died in Newtown, Long Island, New York on May 19, 1823. He was interred in Dutch Reformed Cemetery.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from New York
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...
. He was born on April 8, 1743 in Newtown
Elmhurst, Queens
Elmhurst is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue on the north; Corona to the northeast; Junction Boulevard on the east; Rego Park to the southeast; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Middle Village to the south and southwest; and Maspeth...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
into a family of Dutch origin. His great-grandfather Abraham Ryker http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp (1619–1689) was born in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and settled in New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
. Samuel Riker attended the common schools, was a member of the Newtown committee of correspondence in 1774, and was supervisor of Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
in 1783. He was the lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
of Light Horse during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
Samuel Riker 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 1784. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican
Democratic-Republican Party (United States)
The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
to the Eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Smith
John Smith (New York)
John Smith was an American politician from New York.-Life:He was the son of Rev. Caleb Smith, a minister at Orange, New Jersey...
. He served from November 5, 1804 to March 3, 1805. He was also elected to the Tenth Congress, which met from March 4, 1807 to March 3, 1809. He died in Newtown, Long Island, New York on May 19, 1823. He was interred in Dutch Reformed Cemetery.