Name John Slingerland | Died October 26, 1861 | |
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John I. Slingerland (March 1, 1804 – October 26, 1861) was a United States Representative from New York. He was born in Jerusalem, (now Feura Bush), a hamlet of Bethlehem, New York. Slingerland attended the local schools, engaged in agricultural pursuits, and was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1843 and 1844.
He was elected as a Whig to the 30th Congress, holding office from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1849. Congressman Slingerland delivered a speech before the House of Representatives on June 22, 1848. The speech is titled: "On Internal Improvements, the War, and Land Monopoly".
He was not a candidate for renomination in 1848 and resumed his business and agricultural pursuits. He was active in railroad development, and worked to bring the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad line to Bethlehem.
In 1848 Slingerland made national headlines when he alerted anti-slavery activists to the plight of more than 70 slaves who had attempted to escape Washington aboard a ship, The Pearl. Slaveowners and slavetraders recaptured the escapees and sold many of them to owners in the deep South, making it more difficult for them to escape again. The publicity Slingerland helped generate had the effect of causing abolitionists to increase their efforts to end the slave trade in Washington.
He joined the Republican Party at its founding, and campaigned for John C. Fremont for President in 1856. He served again in the New York State Assembly in 1860 and 1861.
Slingerland died in Slingerlands, New York on October 26, 1861; interment was in the Slingerland family mausoleum.
The hamlet of Slingerlands is named for his family, and some descendants continue to reside there. His home at 1575 New Scotland Road still stands and is part of the Slingerlands Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.