John Hathorn

Not to be confused with John Hathorne, ancestor of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

John Hathorn
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 4th District
In office March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791
Preceded by	Nobody (District Created)
Succeeded by	Cornelius C. Schoonmaker
In office March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797
Preceded by	Peter Van Gaasbeck
Succeeded by	Lucas Elmendorf
Personal details
Born	(1749-01-09)January 9, 1749 Wilmington
Died	Warwick
Political party	Democratic-Republican Anti-Administration

John Hathorn (January 9, 1749 Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware – February 19, 1825 Warwick, Orange County, New York) was an American politician from New York.

Life

He completed preparatory studies and became a surveyor and a school teacher. He moved to Warwick, New York, then a part of the precinct of Goshen and married Elizabeth Welling. He was a captain in the local colonial militia, and became a colonel of the Fourth Orange County (N.Y.) Regiment February 7, 1776, and served throughout the Revolutionary War. He served on the committee appointed to determine an effective location for the Great Chain across the Hudson which prevented the British from advancing up the river, and himself wrote the report. He was one of the commanders of the Battle of Minisink. After the war, on September 26, 1786, Hathorn became a brigadier general of the Orange County militia, and on October 8, 1793, a major general of state militia.

Hathorn was a member from Orange County of the New York State Assembly in 1778, 1780, from 1782 to 1785, in 1795 and 1805, and served as Speaker in 1784.

Hathorn's house in Warwick, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places

He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1786 to 1790 and from 1799 to 1803, and was a member of the Council of Appointment in 1787 and 1789. He was elected to the Confederation Congress in December 1788 but did not attend because it soon become defunct. In March 1789, he was elected to the First United States Congress, and served from April 23, 1789, to March 3, 1791. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Fourth United States Congress, and served from March 4, 1795 to March 3, 1797.

Hathorn engaged in mercantile pursuits until the time of his death.

He was buried in Warwick Cemetery. His stone house still stands on Hathorn Rd., with his and his wife's initials worked in red brick on the south gable of the house.

In World War II, the United States liberty ship SS John Hathorn was named in his honor.

References

• John Hathorn's Revolutionary Legacy Information Page
• John Hathorn at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Political offices
Preceded by Evert Bancker	Speaker of the New York State Assembly 1784	Succeeded by David Gelston
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by new office	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 4th congressional district 1789–1791	Succeeded by Cornelius C. Schoonmaker
Preceded by Peter Van Gaasbeck	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 4th congressional district 1795–1797	Succeeded by Lucas C. Elmendorf