Alexander Colden

Alexander Colden (August 13, 1716 – December 12, 1774) was an American merchant and public official in Colonial New York who was the son of Cadwallader Colden.

Early life Colden was born on August 13, 1716, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in what was then a part of British America. He was the eldest son of Dr. Cadwallader Colden (1688–1776) and Alice (née Chrystie) Colden. Among his siblings were Elizabeth Alice Colden (wife of Peter DeLancey, a son of merchant Stephen DeLancey and brother of Gov. James DeLancey); Cadwallader Colden Jr.; Jane Colden, the first female botanist working in America; Alice Colden (wife of Col. Isaac Willet);

Personal life Colden was married to Elizabeth Nicolls (1720–1774), the second daughter of Richard Nicholls and Margaret Tudor. Together, Alexander and Elizabeth were the parents of:

Richard Nicolls Colden (1745–1777), who married Henrietta Maria Bethune (b. 1745). After his death, his widow married Richard Berryman. Margaret Colden (–1789), who married Major John Antill, son of Hon. Edward Antill of New Jersey. Elizabeth Colden, who married Col. Anthony Farrington, 1st Baronet of the Royal Arsenal in 1766. Jane Colden (1755–1827), who married Major John Antill after the death of her elder sister Margaret.

Through his daughter Alice, he was the grandfather of Mary Elizabeth Jane Douglas Hamilton, wife of Francis Napier (grandson of Francis Napier, 6th Lord Napier) and mother of historian Mark Napier.