Platt, Zephaniah, 1735-1807

Zephaniah Platt (May 27, 1735 – September 12, 1807) was an American politician and lawyer, and founder of the U.S. town of Plattsburgh, New York.

Born in Huntington in the Province of New York, Platt received an English education. After studying law and being admitted to the bar, he practiced law in Poughkeepsie, New York. He became involved in politics, serving as a a member of the New York Provincial Congress from 1775 to 1777, on the Committee of Safety in 1777, in the New York State Senate from 1777 to 1783, in the Congress of the Confederation in 1785 and 1786, and on the Council of Appointment in 1778 and 1781. He was a Dutchess County judge from 1781 to 1795 and delegate to the New York Constitutional Convention in 1788.

In 1788, Platt founded the town of Plattsburgh in New York, and moved there in 1798 to continue practicing law. He was an originator of the Erie Canal, and was a regent of the University of the State of New York from 1791 until his death, in Plattsburgh, in 1807. He was interred in Plattsburgh's Riverside Cemetery.