Alfred Clark Chapin (March 8, 1848 – October 2, 1936) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the Mayor of Brooklyn and for one year as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1891 to 1892.[1]

Alfred C. Chapin
Member of the House of Representatives from New York's 2nd District
In office
November 3, 1891 – November 16, 1892
Preceded byDavid A. Boody
Succeeded byJohn M. Clancy
Mayor of Brooklyn
In office
1888–1891
Preceded byDaniel D. Whitney
Succeeded byDavid A. Boody
New York State Comptroller
In office
1884–1887
GovernorGrover Cleveland
David B. Hill
Preceded byIra Davenport
Succeeded byEdward Wemple
Personal details
Born
Alfred Clark Chapin

(1848-03-08)March 8, 1848
South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States
DiedOctober 2, 1936(1936-10-02) (aged 88)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Grace Stebbins
(m. 1884; died 1908)
Charlotte Storrs Montant
(m. 1913)
RelationsHamilton Fish IV (grandson)
Parent(s)Ephraim Atlas Chapin
Josephine Clark
Alma materWilliams College
Harvard Law School
Signature

Early life

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Chapin was born to Ephraim Atlas Chapin who had interests in the railroad and Josephine, née Clark. He had a younger sister Alice Chapin who was an actress and suffragette.[2]

He attended the public and private schools and graduated from Williams College (in Williamstown, Massachusetts) in 1869,[3] and from Harvard Law School in 1871. He was admitted to the bar in 1872 and commenced practice in New York City with residence in Brooklyn.[1]

Political career

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He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Kings Co., 11th D.) in 1882 and 1883, and was Speaker in 1883. On January 13, 1882, he was injured in the same train accident in which State Senator Webster Wagner was killed.[1]

He was New York State Comptroller from 1884 to 1887, elected at the New York state election, 1883 and the New York state election, 1885.

He was Mayor of Brooklyn from 1888 to 1891.

Tenure in Congress

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Chapin was elected as a Democrat to the 52nd United States Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of David A. Boody and served from November 3, 1891, to November 16, 1892, when he resigned.[1]

Later life

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Chapin served as railroad commissioner of New York State from 1892 to 1897, and continued the practice of law, He was also financially interested in various enterprises.[1] He also owned a summer home in Murray Bay, Quebec.[3]

Personal life

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On February 20, 1884,[3] Chapin was married to Grace Stebbins (1860–1908).[4] She was the daughter of Alice Holmes Schieffelin (1838–1913) and Russell Stebbins (1835–1894) and the granddaughter of Samuel Schieffelin, a religious author and businessman. Together, they were the parents of:

After his first wife's death in 1908, he remarried to Charlotte (née Storrs) Montant (1860–1942),[7] the widow of Charles Montant, on January 6, 1913.[8]

Chapin died in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel while on a visit in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1936.[9] Chapin's grandson Hamilton Fish IV also was a U.S. Representative from New York.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Chapin, Alfred Clark - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  2. ^ Maggie B. Gale, "Chapin, Harold (1886–1915)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, September 2015, accessed November 9, 2017]
  3. ^ a b c "Alfred Clark Chapin (1848–1936)". specialcollections.williams.edu. Special Collections of Williams College. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  4. ^ "Mrs. A. C. Chapin Dead; End Came Suddenly; Wife of ex-Mayor of Brooklyn, a Noted Beauty, Taken Ill Only Last Friday. At the Opera a Week Ago; She Was a Member of the Schieffelin Family, and a Leader in Metropolitan Society". The New York Times. December 11, 1908. p. 11. Retrieved April 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Mrs. Hamilton Fish Dies; Wife of Ex-Representative Was Former Grace Chapin". The New York Times. July 4, 1960. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  6. ^ Pace, Eric (January 20, 1991). "Hamilton Fish, in Congress 24 Years, Dies at 102". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "Mrs. Alfred C. Chapin; Widow of One-Time Mayor of Brooklyn Dies in Murray Bay". The New York Times. September 2, 1942. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  8. ^ "Ex-Mayor Chapin Marries; Former Brooklyn Executive Wedded to Mrs. Charles L. Montant". The New York Times. January 7, 1913. p. 11. Retrieved April 30, 2021 – via NewspaperArchive.
  9. ^ "Ex-Mayor Chapin of Brooklyn Dies; Retired Lawyer, 88, Had Also Been State Controller and Speaker of Assembly". The New York Times. October 3, 1936. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
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New York State Assembly
Preceded by
William H. Waring
New York State Assembly
Kings County, 11th District

1882–1883
Succeeded by
Henry Heath
Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the New York State Assembly
1883
Succeeded by
Preceded by New York State Comptroller
1884–1887
Succeeded by
Preceded by Mayor of Brooklyn
1888–1891
Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 2nd congressional district

1891–1892
Succeeded by
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INTERN 1
Note 2
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