John Sanders Van Rensselaer

John Sanders Van Rensselaer (April 10, 1792 – March 19, 1868) was an American lawyer and soldier.

Early life Van Rensselaer was born on April 10, 1792, in New York into the prominent Van Rensselaer family. He was the eldest son of Margaretta "Margaret" ( Sanders) Van Rensselaer (1764–1830) and Killian K. Van Rensselaer, who served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1801 to 1811.

His maternal grandparents were John Sanders and Deborah ( Glen) Sanders. His paternal grandparents were Ariantje "Harriet" ( Schuyler) Van Rensselaer and Col. Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, who fought in the American Revolution leading Van Rensselaer's Regiment when he was wounded during the Battles of Saratoga. Among his large and prominent family were uncles Henry Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, Philip Kiliaen van Rensselaer, and Nicholas Van Rensselaer. His aunt, Catharine Van Rensselaer, married William Henry Ludlow. He graduated from Union College in 1811,

Personal life On March 12, 1816, Van Rensselaer was married to Ann Dunkin (1795–1845) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a daughter of Robert Henry Dunkin (a nephew of Chief-Justice Sir William Dunkin) and Elizabeth ( Watkins) Dunkin.

Dunkin Henry van Rensselaer (1817–1819), who died young. Maunsell van Rensselaer (1819–1900), an Episcopal priest and author who married Sarah Ann Taylor. Margaretta Sanders Van Rensselaer (1821–1879), who married Joseph W. Russell. First Officer of the Central America, which was lost off Cape Hatteras in a hurricane in 1857. Ann Eliza Van Rensselaer (1825–1910), who married Dr. Alexander Henry Hoff in 1847.