Samuel Riker


Samuel Riker was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.

Early life

He was born on April 8, 1743 in Newtown on Long Island in what was then the Province of New York into a family of Dutch origin. He was a son of Andrew Riker and Jane Riker.
His great-grandfather Abraham Ryker was born in the Netherlands and settled in New Netherland.

Career

After Riker attended the common schools, he was a member of the Newtown committee of correspondence in 1774, and was supervisor of Suffolk County in 1783. He was the lieutenant of Light Horse during the American Revolution.
Samuel Riker was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1784. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Smith. He served from November 5, 1804 to March 3, 1805. He was also elected to the Tenth Congress, which met from March 4, 1807 to March 3, 1809.

Personal life

Riker was married to Anna Lawrence. Anna was a daughter of Joseph Lawrence and a niece of merchant and New York State Senator Jonathan Lawrence. Among her cousins were Samuel, John, and William T. Lawrence. Together, they were the parents of:
He died in Newtown in Long Island on May 19, 1823. He was interred in the Dutch Reformed Cemetery.

Descendants

Through his daughter Patience, he was a grandfather of Patience Riker Lawrence and a great-grandfather of Jane Lawrence Churchill, who married Henry Y. Satterlee, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington,