De Peyster was born in New Amsterdam on July 8, 1657, to Johannes de Peyster, Sr. and Cornelia de Peyster. Abraham's brother, Johannes de Peyster, served as mayor from 1698 until 1699, and was then succeeded by David Provost, the husband of his sister, Maria De Peyster.
Career
In October 1691, he was appointed mayor by Governor Henry Sloughter. Though De Peyster had been an early supporter of Jacob Leisler, who led Leisler's Rebellion, he had not participated in Leisler's later actions. Through his suggestion, the city started providing public support to the poor. From a wealthy merchant family, De Peyster also reportedly served in a number of public roles during his life, including stints as alderman, Associate Judge and later Chief Justice on the province's Supreme Court, President of the King's Council, and as Treasurer for New York and New Jersey provinces. He also served as a Colonel in the militia. Some sources state that he served as governor or acting governor of the Province of New York, which refers to a few months' time in 1701 after the death of Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont, when Lieutenant Governor John Nanfan was abroad. This left De Peyster, as the senior member of the Council, briefly in command until Nanfan returned. Around 1699, De Peyster donated some of his land holdings, part of his garden, for the construction of a new city hall. That city hall was later renamed Federal Hall, which briefly served as the first capitol of the United States, and the site of the first inauguration of George Washington as President.
Personal life
On April 5, 1684, while visiting Amsterdam, he married his second cousin, Catharina de Peyster, the daughter of Pierre de Peyster and Gertrude Van Dyke. Their children included:
Abraham de Peyster, who served as the Treasurer of the Province of New York and married Margaret Van Cortlandt, daughter of Jacobus Van Cortlandt, in 1722.
The mansion he erected in 1695, which at one time was the headquarters of Washington, remained standing until 1856. Before his death in 1728, De Peyster commissioned the creation of a bell to be placed in the Middle Dutch Church, then under construction. Cast in Amsterdam in 1731, the bell is known today as the "Liberty Bell" and is located at the Middle Collegiate Church.
Legacy
His great grandson, also named Abraham de Peyster, briefly led the Loyalists in the Battle of Kings Mountain. Evacuating to British North America after the American Revolution, the younger Abraham became the Treasurer of the new royal colony of New Brunswick. His 3x-great grandson was John Watts de Peyster, who commissioned a statue of his ancestor in the late 19th century. Sculpted by George Edwin Bissell, the statue was originally placed in Bowling Green Park in Manhattan in the late 1890s. Park and subway renovations forced its removal in 1972, and it was placed in Hanover Square from 1976 until 2004. During subsequent renovations in Hanover Square, the statue was placed in a warehouse for 9 years. In the fall of 2013, it was restored to public view in its current location in Thomas Paine Park near the Supreme Court building. . A duplicate of the New York statue was also donated by John Watts de Peyster to Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where it is currently placed on Buchanan Avenue.
