Duane, James, 1733-1797

<ul><b>RACES</b>
<li>05/29/1788 New York Ratifying Convention Won 10.88% (-0.15%)</li>
<li>12/31/1782 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1781 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1780 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1778 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1777 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>06/01/1777 NY Governor Lost 0.05% (-48.23%)</li>
<li>12/31/1776 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1775 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1774 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>09/01/1774 NY Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
</ul>

<p>James Duane (February 6, 1733 – February 1, 1797) was an American Founding Father, attorney, jurist, and American Revolutionary leader from New York. He served as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, Second Continental Congress and the Congress of the Confederation, a New York state senator, the 44th Mayor of New York City, the 1st post-colonial Mayor of New York City and a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New York. Duane was a signatory of the Continental Association and the Articles of Confederation.</p>

<p>Duane was born on February 6, 1733, in New York City, in the Province of New York, to Anthony Duane and his second wife, Althea Ketaltas. Anthony Duane was a Protestant Irishman from County Galway who first came to New York as an officer of the Royal Navy in 1698. In 1702, Anthony Duane left the navy to marry Eva Benson, daughter of Dirck Benson, a local merchant. They had two sons, Abraham and Cornelius. Duane prospered and bought land for investment, rental, and future development. After his wife's death, Anthony married Althea Ketaltas (Hettletas), the daughter of a wealthy Dutch merchant. By the time of James' birth, his father had become a wealthy colonial settler.</p>

<p>Duane's mother died in 1736, and his father married a third time in 1741 to Margaret Riken (Rycken). When Anthony died in 1747, James became the ward of Robert Livingston, the 3rd Lord of Livingston Manor, where he completed his early education.</p>

DUANE, James, a Delegate from New York; born in New York City February 6, 1733; completed preparatory studies; studied law; was admitted to the bar August 3, 1754; clerk of the chancery court in 1762; attorney general of New York in 1767; boundary commissioner in 1768 and 1784; State Indian commissioner in 1774; delegate to the provincial convention in 1775; member of the Revolutionary Committee of One Hundred in 1775; Member of the Continental Congress 1774-1783; member of the Provincial Congress in 1776 and 1777; served in the State senate 1782-1785 and 1788-1790; chosen a member of the Annapolis Commercial Convention in 1786, but did not attend; first mayor of New York City 1784-1789; delegate to the State convention which ratified the Federal Constitution in 1788; United States district judge for the district of New York 1789-1794; believed to have died in either New York City or in Duanesburg, Schenectady County, N.Y., February 1, 1797; interment under Christ Church in Duanesburg.

James Duane was a distinguished citizen of New York, when the colonial trials commenced. On account of his zeal and ability, he was elected a delegate to the first Congress, and he was an active patriot and statesman throughout the Revolution. In 1789 he was appointed judge of the district court of New York. He was the first mayor of the city of New York after its evacuation by the British forces. He died in 1797. Among his productions was a published law case, which displays his ability as a judge.