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Lot Essay
John Nicholas Bleecker was an aggressive leader during the Revolutionary years in Albany, and assumed an important role after the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. Albany was an especially vital hub of Revolutionary activity. The city was the seat of the Albany Conference in 1754, where Benjamin Franklin was among those who drafted the Albany Plan of Union, precursor to the Declaration of Independence.
Early in the 1760s, Bleecker became a contractor with Albany's municipal government, which was largely in favor of independence. He also served as Alderman to the Albany Corporation from 1767, a position to which he was reelected for several years, as well as on the Committee of Correspondence, founded to promote colonists' rights following the Intolerable Acts of 1774.
When the War began, Bleecker was made Assistant Deputy Commissary General of Store and Provisions in New York, and was instrumental in the transfer of munitions seized from Fort Ticonderoga to reinforce the defense of Boston in the spring of 1776. Bleecker's contributions to the Revolution were rewarded by New York State with an allocation of land bounty rights. After the War, he continued serving in Albany's city government until his death in 1825.
For additional information see: The John N. Bleecker Papers, 1700-1870, at the New York State Library and the Colonial Albany Social History Project, directed by Stephan Bielinski, the New York State Museum.
Early in the 1760s, Bleecker became a contractor with Albany's municipal government, which was largely in favor of independence. He also served as Alderman to the Albany Corporation from 1767, a position to which he was reelected for several years, as well as on the Committee of Correspondence, founded to promote colonists' rights following the Intolerable Acts of 1774.
When the War began, Bleecker was made Assistant Deputy Commissary General of Store and Provisions in New York, and was instrumental in the transfer of munitions seized from Fort Ticonderoga to reinforce the defense of Boston in the spring of 1776. Bleecker's contributions to the Revolution were rewarded by New York State with an allocation of land bounty rights. After the War, he continued serving in Albany's city government until his death in 1825.
For additional information see: The John N. Bleecker Papers, 1700-1870, at the New York State Library and the Colonial Albany Social History Project, directed by Stephan Bielinski, the New York State Museum.