Jonas Platt
Jonas Platt was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Early life
Platt was born on June 30, 1769, in Poughkeepsie, Province of New York, in what was then British America. He was the son of patriot politician and lawyer Zephaniah Platt, who founded Plattsburgh, New York, and his second wife, Mary Van Wyck Platt. Among his siblings was New York State Treasurer Charles Z. Platt.After attending a French Academy at Montreal, Quebec, Platt studied law under Richard Varick in New York City and was admitted to the bar in 1790.
Career
He practiced law in Poughkeepsie and served as the county clerk of Herkimer County, New York, from 1791 to 1798. He was also the county clerk of Oneida County, New York, from 1798 to 1802. He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1796.Platt was elected as a Federalist to the 6th United States Congress, and served from March 4, 1799, to March 3, 1801. He was the Chair of the United States House Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business.
Following his Congressional service, Platt resumed practicing law in New York and concurrently served as a General in the Cavalry in the New York State Militia.
Platt served as a member of the New York State Senate from 1809 to 1813. As a member of the Senate, Platt was an active promoter of the Erie Canal and worked to advance legislation to spur its construction.
In 1810, he was an unsuccessful candidate for governor, and in 1813, served as a member of the Council of Appointment.
From 1814 to 1821, Platt was an associate justice of the New York Supreme Court. He was a delegate to the New York Constitutional Convention in 1821.
Personal life
He married Helena Livingston, the daughter of Dr. Henry Livingston and Susannah Storm Livingston, of the Livingston family. She was also the sister of Continental Congressman Gilbert Livingston, the Rev. Dr. John Henry Livingston, president of Queen's College, and author Henry Livingston Jr., among others. Together, Jonas and Helena were the parents of eight children, including:- Susan Jonasse Platt, who married Richard Ray Lansing.
- Zephaniah Platt, the Michigan Attorney General.
- Helen Livingston Platt, who married Truman Parmelee. After his death, she married Dr. Henry W. Bell.