October 24, 1663 - Stephen DeLancey
The DeLancey name loomed large over colonial New York for generations, and its trajectory began with this French-born merchant who built a commercial and political foothold substantial enough to outlast his own lifetime. His sons carried that influence forward, aligning the family with Loyalist interests in ways that would eventually see them on the losing side of the Revolution. What makes the DeLancey dynasty worth examining is less any single act than the machinery of colonial power it represented — wealth, patronage, and political leverage concentrated across decades.
From Wikipedia
Stephen Delancey (born Étienne de Lancy; October 24, 1663 – November 18, 1741) was a French-born American merchant and politician in colonial New York who served as a member of the New York General Assembly and the Executive Council. His children, including James De Lancey and Oliver DeLancey, continued to wield great influence until the American Revolution.
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