Person Information

Biography

Harmanus Bleecker was a great-great grandson of one of the original Dutch colonists who helped settle the 17th-century community of Beverwyck, the forerunner of Albany. He became a successful attorney who left a bequest of $80,000 (equal to more than $2 million today) to the city. 
His legacy can be found in the Harmanus Bleecker Library (now an office building), Bleecker Stadium, Bleecker Park and Bleecker Place, off Eagle Street in the Mansion neighborhood. 
He was an ambitious and brilliant young man who joined a law firm at 17, passed the bar exam and opened a law practice by the time he turned 21. He became a successful attorney and ran a training school for law students. He was a trustee of Albany Academy and the Albany Bible Society. Bleecker enjoyed teaching and took a deep interest in education. He was appointed to the board of the State Normal School (now the University at Albany) and was named a regent of the State University of New York. 
He was also drawn to politics and was elected as a Federalist congressman in 1811, but grew disillusioned with Washington and returned to Albany, where he won election as a state assemblyman and served for two years. In the 1820s, his legal expertise was tapped and he was named one of New York state’s commissioners who negotiated with their counterparts of New Jersey to determine a legally binding boundary between the two states. 
He also was a member of the original Board of Governors that founded City Hospital, which became Albany Medical Center. 
Bleecker, who was single, devoted himself to his political, humanitarian and legal work. Given his understanding of Dutch culture and his fluency in the language, he was appointed ambassador to the Netherlands in 1837 by President Martin Van Buren, a political friend from Albany. He served in the post for five years. He undertook a grand tour of Europe in 1838 at age 59 and was greeted warmly in the Netherlands, where he stayed for extended periods. Bleecker’s role was largely social and administrative, and he dealt with passport matters and hosted receptions for visiting Americans in Amsterdam. He was called upon to intervene in a fight between two U.S. sailors in Rotterdam that ended up in a fatality. 
His ambassadorship had one other notable consequence. He met and wed a Dutch woman 34 years his junior, Cornelia Mentz. He was 62 and she was 28 when they wed in 1841. 
A year after his marriage, he stepped down as ambassador in 1842 and retired from public life and business pursuits. He practiced law on a part-time basis and he and his wife settled in Albany. When Bleecker died in 1849, his will gave his entire estate to his widow, but it stipulated that upon her death the remainder should be used to benefit the city he loved. 

Citations

Biography and Citation Information:
Biography: 
Harmanus Bleecker was a great-great grandson of one of the original Dutch colonists who helped settle the 17th-century community of Beverwyck, the forerunner of Albany. He became a successful attorney who left a bequest of $80,000 (equal to more than $2 million today) to the city. His legacy can be found in the Harmanus Bleecker Library (now an office building), Bleecker Stadium, Bleecker Park and Bleecker Place, off Eagle Street in the Mansion neighborhood. He was an ambitious and brilliant young man who joined a law firm at 17, passed the bar exam and opened a law practice by the time he turned 21. He became a successful attorney and ran a training school for law students. He was a trustee of Albany Academy and the Albany Bible Society. Bleecker enjoyed teaching and took a deep interest in education. He was appointed to the board of the State Normal School (now the University at Albany) and was named a regent of the State University of New York. He was also drawn to politics and was elected as a Federalist congressman in 1811, but grew disillusioned with Washington and returned to Albany, where he won election as a state assemblyman and served for two years. In the 1820s, his legal expertise was tapped and he was named one of New York state’s commissioners who negotiated with their counterparts of New Jersey to determine a legally binding boundary between the two states. He also was a member of the original Board of Governors that founded City Hospital, which became Albany Medical Center. Bleecker, who was single, devoted himself to his political, humanitarian and legal work. Given his understanding of Dutch culture and his fluency in the language, he was appointed ambassador to the Netherlands in 1837 by President Martin Van Buren, a political friend from Albany. He served in the post for five years. He undertook a grand tour of Europe in 1838 at age 59 and was greeted warmly in the Netherlands, where he stayed for extended periods. Bleecker’s role was largely social and administrative, and he dealt with passport matters and hosted receptions for visiting Americans in Amsterdam. He was called upon to intervene in a fight between two U.S. sailors in Rotterdam that ended up in a fatality. His ambassadorship had one other notable consequence. He met and wed a Dutch woman 34 years his junior, Cornelia Mentz. He was 62 and she was 28 when they wed in 1841. A year after his marriage, he stepped down as ambassador in 1842 and retired from public life and business pursuits. He practiced law on a part-time basis and he and his wife settled in Albany. When Bleecker died in 1849, his will gave his entire estate to his widow, but it stipulated that upon her death the remainder should be used to benefit the city he loved.
Citation Type: 
Website
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http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000555
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Congress.Gov
Website Viewing Date: 
Monday, January 26, 2015 - 09:15
Website's Last Modified Date: 
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Citation Notes: 
http://www.timesunion.com/albanyrural/bleecker/
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Citation for Birth Info:
Citation Type: 
Website
Citation URL: 
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000555
Title of Webpage: 
Congress.Gov
Website Viewing Date: 
Monday, January 26, 2015 - 09:15
Website Last Modified Date: 
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Citation for Death Info:
Citation Type: 
Website
Citation URL: 
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000555
Title of Webpage: 
Congress.Gov
Website Viewing Date: 
Monday, January 26, 2015 - 09:15
Website Last Modified Date: 
Monday, January 26, 2015 - 09:15